Echo, Book 1
by Axenome
Summary: An otaku makes a long anticipated trip to Japan. Yet something strange happens to him, and he finds himself stranded 11 years in the past- in Nerima! What will he do? Who will he meet? And will he ever get home? Complete!
1. Prologue: A Step Forward, a Decade Back

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: The Echo

Prologue: "One step forward, and a long way back."

' '- denotes thoughts

""- denotes words spoken in Japanese. Sometimes will actually be in Japanese.

"/ /"- denotes words spoken in English.

Final entry in the journal of Andrew C.

_June 19, 2008:_

_Japan is everything I had hoped it would be. I just wish my wife Darlene could have come with- of course, that's rather a silly wish knowing what is going on these days, and besides, Japan never really appealed to her on the level it does to me. Besides, Dustin- or D. Dawg as he insists we all call him instead of his "government name," needed summer school and so he couldn't go out of state to visit his dad for the summer. And I miss them both terribly. _

_Even so, I am having a wonderful time. I've only been here for a week, and I still have another three weeks to go here in Tokyo, and it's been beyond amazing already. I got this map yesterday from a street vendor and check this out: there's actually a prefecture here in Tokyo called Nerima! I can't tell you how familiar it looks- the animators got it PERFECT. I almost expect to see people running around, jumping roof top to roof top throwing energy blasts_

"/Ki blasts./" Said a voice in accented but perfectly understandable English.

Andrew looked up from where he sat on the bench, writing in his journal. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the speaker, a young Japanese man who looked to be about high school age. "Ano?" Andrew asked.

"/Ki blasts./" Repeated the teen. "/Not energy blasts./"

Andrew brushed over the faus pax of someone reading over his shoulder as he wrote; much as he'd tried to learn about Japanese culture back home, he wasn't sure that this was a rudeness here. He was, after all, in a public setting. As he looked the youth over a little more closely, Andrew felt something familiar about the boy. "/Uh, have we... met before?/"

The young man blinked a moment before shaking his head in the negative. "/I don't think so./" The boy looked him over a moment, before tentatively saying, "Ohaiyo Gozaimasu. Watashi wa Moroboshi Daisuke desu. Yoroshiku."

Andrew grinned at him, and replied, "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Moroboshi san. Watashi wa Andrew desu. Dozo yoroshiku."

Daisuke smiled back, and gave a smooth bow. Andrew stood and returned the bow, somewhat clumsily, but with feeling. As he straightened up, however, the smile slid off his face when he caught sight of someone approaching over Daisuke's shoulder. Daisuke looked at Andrew puzzled for a moment, before turning to face the teenager walking toward them, a young man with somewhat unruly hair, bound back with a black and yellow striped bandanna. He wore a yellow, long sleeved shirt tied off at the wrists, black pants, and a backpack with a red umbrella slung horizontally over the top of it.

Andrew's face started to go numb. 'No way,' he thought to himself. ' I'm hallucinating. Gotta be.'

The stranger walked up to the two of them, looking somewhat tired. "Can you tell me where Furinkan Highschool is?"

Andrew lost more color in his face as he looked over to the side at the plaque on the wall next to the bench. Daisuke himself stood dumbfounded a moment, before he slowly lifted a hand to point at it. The stranger took another step past them both, before slowly tracing the kanji engraved on the plaque with his hands. "Fu... Rin... Kan... Koukou." He recited softly. A moment of realization seemed to revitalize him. "At last!" He exclaimed. "Where is Ranma!?" He demanded.

Andrew felt his world wobble around him; weakly he asked, "Do you speak of... Saotome... Ranma?"

The bandanna clad boy, who could only be Ryoga Hibiki, whirled on Andrew and grabbed him by the collar. "Do you know him?"

Andrew gave a faint, disbelieving "Heh." And then suddenly, everything went grey.

--

Here is the prologue to the first real attempt at fanfiction I've made in years. It's an old anime but still it retains a fairly faithful fan base, myself included. I hope that this story gains some small bit of attention; I'd appreciate feedback on it. In case anyone is interested, yes, this is in fact a self insertion, but I'm trying to give a new take on the whole SI fic thing. Nobody ever portrays themselves well, but I've had enough oddity come up in my life that I think I might actually fit in, even if just a little, with the Nerima crew. I've studied martial arts for most of my life, even when it was on the outside looking in and trying to imitate what I saw strangers do through glass windows until the instructor chased me off because I had no money (This was especially common when I was a kid) to pay for classes.

Before anyone makes a fuss about it, yes I intend for Andrew to be on the receiving end of a bit of "Gaijin" treatment. It will also be fairly apparent that Ranma, in spite of his poor social skills, will likely be the least judgemental of the Nerima gang on early acquaintance. This is in fact intentional and well thought out. For the most part, nearly nobody else in the core group(Tendo daughters, Ukyo, etc) have spent any significant amount of time out of Tokyo, much less Japan. Genma and Soun will be more cosmopolitan, due to their tutelage under Happosai, but their attitudes will be shaped as much by their age as by their early training. And most of the Nerima crew, in spite of the clownish way they are sometimes portrayed, are still fairly intelligent, most especially Ranma, and close acquaintance will likely shape their views of him as time goes on.

I have not fleshed out much in my outlines of how Andrew will develop as a martial artist- obviously he will not be near anybody's level in skill in the beginning, probably a bit higher in terms of skill than most of the Hentai horde, but nowhere near the level of even Akane, much less any of the real fighters. Maybe he will learn in his time in Nerima a bit; I highly doubt he will ever receive Amazon training. But who knows what the future will hold.

Anyhow, lemme know what you all think of it.

-AXENOME


	2. Chapter 1: Re Orient

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: The Echo

Chapter One: Re-Orient

' '- denotes thoughts

""- denotes words spoken in Japanese. Sometimes will actually be in Japanese.

"/ /"- denotes words spoken in English.

_Date ??, year prob. 1997: Am recording day on Kickback phone. Lost diary when passed out. Found self in clinic of a Ono Tofu. Calender on wall says year is 1997, still on Jan. Calender still looked new, no snow outside, am assuming is not hung up to proper month of year. Looked in mirror, saw am still shaved head, hairline much lower than I remember. Look and feel like am late teens, not growing any kind of facial hair. Mustache gone. Don't understand, wasn't bald when was teenage, nvm doesn't matter. If really is '97, will not meet Darlene for 1-1/2 years. Thought scares me. Still in Japan, don't belong here. Wonder if am here/now permanent or get back to my proper time some time later. Don't understand how I got here. Hotel gone. Most clothes in it. Can't guess how I will get home. Have passport, 500 dollars cash and 15,000 yen after paying doctor. Problem with US money: if now is '97, I have 14 bucks I can use. Rest printed '98 or later. Don't know if past self in Las Vegas; seeing self as late teens suggests the me belonging here/now no longer there? don't know. Still in shock. Not enough money. In bad trouble. Would buy land back home for development if could get back there. But that long term, real problem is short term. _

_Scariest part- in Nerima. Not just a prefecture. This is Ranma 1/2 Nerima. Saw Ryoga earlier. Met Daisuke. Daisuke brought me to clinic. Have been martial artist for years- will I attract trouble here? Ryoga as strong as anime suggests. Wonder if laws of physics different here. Daisuke knows Ranma. Ranma changes to a girl with cold water here. Is just like anime. Used to watch it obsessively. After left clinic, found way back to street where passed out. Saw fight between Ranma/Ryoga. Ryoga actually rips phone pole out of ground. Learned basics in about a dozen different styles, as late teens was in best shape of my life. These guys do the impossible. Am not changed to match it myself. Am no longer sure can defend self against what may come by. Can feel chi better than back home but still can't figure how to use it. This place scares me. I feel naked and helpless. _

Andrew blinked, yawned. Looking around, he saw that other people were starting to come into the park, and shut off the Kickback as swiftly as he could before sticking it into his backpack. He'd slept on a bench using his backpack as a pillow; he was only eternally grateful that he'd packed the adapter for the Kickback phone in it; the phone, a change of clothes, a towel, and Conversational Japanese handbook were all he had now. He'd brought the change of clothes along in case of sudden rain, as Tokyo was sometimes known for. Thankfully, it hadn't rained the whole night.

Andrew knew better than to continue to trust to luck; so far Nerima had proven to live up to its reputation, at least from an observational distance. And the phone provided its own complication; the Kickback phone would not be developed and released by G-mobility for another decade. Flashing it around could get it stolen, or at the very least a lot of awkward questions. And the phone might have been insured, but there would be no way to collect on it if it were stolen. 'Hi, G-mobility? Yeah, I have a phone you'll put out in another eleven years, someone stole it, can I get a replacement?' Not very viable. 'Mental note,' he thought to himself. 'Find out what G-mobility is doing in 1997, and invest in it. Hard.'

Andrew's eyes lit up. For the fist time since he realized the trouble he was in, he had a plan of action. It was risky as hell, but if it panned out, he could get all the money he needed, both short term and long term.

All he had to do was convince one Tendo Nabiki.

--

Tendo Nabiki looked over the poorly written note that had been attached to her locker. Either it had been written by a third grader, or else it was written by a gaijin.

The author of the note seemed to have a fairly acceptable grasp of syntax and grammar, but it was rigid and formal, and the handwriting was absolutely awful. Especially the kanji.

Nabiki prided herself on her keen mind and ability to puzzle out the unknown, but this one was tricky. The writer seemed to be able to form complex thought with the vocabulary of a seventh grader- So definitely not written by a kid. Almost certainly a non-native speaker, probably learned from a course online, or maybe in a second rate college.

'Okay, so what would a gaijin want to discuss with me?' Nabiki wondered. 'And why would he want to meet me in a park?'

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. 'Am I being set up?' She asked herself. After a moment, though, she dismissed the possibility. Nobody she had any disagreements with would be capable of faking a letter this well. And she'd never had anything to do with foreigners before. So a setup was unlikely. 'But knowing that, the next question is how on earth would they know anything about me?'

Nabiki ran the rest of the letter over in her mind. It implied that there was a great deal of monetary potential in this meeting. So whoever it was happened to be intimately familiar with her habits, or at least her reputation. So if it was legit, then she wasn't dealing with an idiot. This might even be a challenge.

'Perhaps,' she thought to herself with a smile, 'just perhaps, this meeting might be worth my while.'

--

Andrew ate the octopus puffs silently, enjoying the flavor and trying hard not to notice that they weren't very substantial. It wasn't like he could afford to go blowing large amounts of money all at once; he'd started yesterday with a yen equivalent of 180 dollars, and he had already spent almost 1/4 of it. Catching up to Daisuke before class with the note he'd hastily written this morning, he'd bribed him with 1000 yen to get the note into Nabiki' hands. He was fully aware of how much fear her name could strike into the hearts of her classmates; he just hoped it would be enough to keep their noses out of the note.

'Never thought all those wasted hours watching Ranma 1/2 would become a marketable skill.' He thought to himself with a grim chuckle. His ear perked a bit as he heard footsteps on the gravel of the path, and he turned his head. Coming from the direction of the afternoon sun, the glare made the approaching figure a silhouette, but he knew from the distinctive haircut who she was almost instantly.

He'd had hours to plan his actions; immediately he wore a smile that he'd brought all the way from the casinos back home in Las Vegas. It was a smile that was part shark, part used car salesman, and part lawyer. It wasn't at all a nice smile, but that was intentional- Nabiki wouldn't respect the wearer of a nice smile, and having one would immediately concede to advantage to her in their upcoming negotiations. "Konbanwa, Tendo San." he said, standing up and bowing. "Watashi wa Andrew Desu."

She smiled her own cold smirk back at him. "Good afternoon to you as well, Andrew san. I find myself at a loss-"

Andrew shook his head at her, and she stopped. "Today's meeting is not about loss, Tendo San- it is about gain. And I have an... Offer? an offer that you can't refuse."

End Chapter One

--

Okay, so the first chapter is posted and waiting for review. Have one more chapter currently in the works, and before anyone asks, no, Andrew is NOT going to simply walk all over Nabiki. He might- MAYBE- hold his own against her, but she IS the Ice Queen of Nerima, and her native talent and wit is likely MORE than enough to deal with his 30 years to develop his own craftiness.

Lemme know whatcha think of this chapter.

Til next time.

-AXENOME


	3. Chapter 2: Inside Straight to Full House

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: The Echo

Chapter 2: Inside Straight to a Full House

' '- denotes thinking  
" "- denotes speaking in Japanese. Sometimes will actually be in Japanese.  
/ /- denotes English.

Nabiki adopted a confident expression as she raised an eyebrow at the American. "Oh, I imagine I could refuse quite a lot."

"Could... yes. Should? I am not so sure." Andrew riposted. "I know many things that could be useful to you."

"You don't say. Care to make an example?" Nabiki said smoothly.

Andrew allowed his smile to fade, adopting a carefully neutral expression. "I already had made a plan to offer you some things. I will tell you something I... can not know, for I was not there, then I will tell you something most can not find out, because it not- it HAS not- happen yet." Andrew grimaced slightly, wrestling with his Japanese. It had improved already over the course of the last week, but even so there were just so many words he couldn't remember.

Nabiki smiled back at him, mentally noting his difficulty with the language, and filed it away for future use. It could come in useful some time. 'Should I let him know I paid attention in English class?' She wondered for a moment, before dismissing the thought. It never pays to let a sucker know his secrets aren't safe before you're ready to cash them in. "So, gonna tell me a story? Make it nice and ambiguous? I mean, it works so well for Nostradamus." She said with a smirk.

Andrew chuckled. 'Child, you have NO idea.' He began, "When first Ranma came to your house... Home? Your mo- Father-" He grimaced again, mentally phrasing things before going on. "Your father had a postcard from China. It was from his old friend saying he was come to visit. This friend Genma was bringing his son." He paused, then went on. "You then learn one of you three girls must marry this boy, but you were least upset about this. Then you asked if he was cute." He watched as a slight blush started to creep onto Nabiki's face, which she seemed to force down out of sheer force of will. "You were all upset when your father told you he never met the boy. Then a panda and a... girl come by, and Akane tries to make friends with her. Later you all find out the girl was a boy, and Akane hit him with a table after he insult her... body. Said she had no..." He floundered for a moment, miming a his hands in front of his torso before he could remember the word he was looking for. "-No chest."

Nabiki tried to maintain her cool demeanor, but Andrew could still see she was rattled. 'Part one successful.' He thought to himself. 'Nabiki is clever and fast, but I've got twelve years of Las Vegas on my side. And I'm thirteen years older than she is. Experience wise, I've got the edge. Still, she's damn smart- probably smarter than me- so I can't let her get the upper hand even a little.' He let the impact sink in for a second longer, before he went on, "That was first part. Next part-" he maintained his best poker face. "-Next part is tonight or tomorrow night. Ryoga- he is new here, you arranged bets against Ranma yesterday in the fight, told him vitamins were a strength pill, but tonight or tomorrow night he will come to the dojo at night while... it rain. He and Ranma fight outside, Akane hears noise, throws a barbell. Ryoga run off, but he not gone- he has a curse, he turn into a small black pig. Akane find him, thought- thinks- he is just an animal, decides to keep as pet. Ranma figure it out, Akane yell at him, Ranma gets mad and tell her go ahead and sleep with pig."

Nabiki tried to gather her wits. "Okay, let's say for a moment- for the sake of argument- that you're right. How do you know all this?" She said, shaking her head and trying to buy some time to think.

Andrew smiled triumphantly. 'If this part doesn't throw her off, nothing will.' Out loud, he said, "Because I come from the future. Eleven years."

Nabiki looked even more stunned. "From the future? Sure, like I should believe that." It sounded weak even to her own ears.

Andrew pulled out his trump card- the Kickback phone. "I will think- do think, did think- DID think you would say this." He showed her the device, kicking out the screen with a finger to reveal the small keyboard. The color display popped awake, showing the varicolored background and the slidewheel menu of options. Up in the corner of the screen, he noted with no real surprise that there was no signal. "The company that make- will make- this phone has not the support tower to call with it. I am not sure the company exist yet. But even without ability to make phone call or go on internet, I think it can... Convince? Convince you." He gestured at the micropixeled screen, then called up the camera option. With a smooth motion he clicked a picture of her astonished face, then showed it to her. "If I remember correct, this screen alone... can not be found in the world anywhere. Nobody has heard of a flat screen TV yet, let alone one screen so small."

Nabiki reached out and touched the miniature trackball on the side of the device, watching the slide wheel menu rotate as she did. 'Holy crap, this thing is for real.' She thought. Andrew, apparently deciding she had seen enough, slid the screen shut and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Free ride is over." Andrew announced, standing up. The next part was the real gamble. Would she take the bait? "I will give you time to think about this. Then you will decide if you want in."

Nabiki's gaze became inscrutable, and Andrew could practically see the thoughts whirling in his head. He waited with a calm expression for her to say something, and at that crucial moment, disaster struck. Unsatisfied with the paltry handful of octopus puffs from earlier, his stomach rumbled loudly.

Nabiki's eyes registered puzzlement for a split second, before lighting up with sudden comprehension. "And now, Andrew san, the last piece falls into place." She folded her arms with her trademark smirk in place as Andrew's face fell into dismay. "I had wondered why it was that a time traveller from so near in the future would come back and seek out a business partner. Why would he not only come back so strange a number of years- why eleven? -let alone seek out a partner of a nationality so far removed in culture and distance from his own. Why he would speak passable but not perfect Japanese, when he is so obviously capable of planning, foresight, and judgement? And I had thought maybe you were a wanted criminal after that thought, either in your own time or this time. But that didn't add up either, as you seem uninterested in breaking the rules, more in exploiting them. Why would you need me? But then, I finally get it." She leaned forward with a smile that was not nice, not nice at all. "You came back by accident- and you're stranded. You don't know how or why you got here, and I'm betting you have next to no money- the life span of your average paper bill in the US is only about 7 years. Most of your money was printed at a later date, wasn't it?" She didn't wait for him to confirm or deny. "I'll bet you had a lot of money, but with a later date than now, even if it wasn't counterfeit, there was no way to prove that, is there? You're over a barrel, stuck in Japan and probably don't even have a valid passport, for the same reason as the money- and the only person on earth who can help you... Is me."

Andrew began to sweat as she tore his entire plan to shreds. Then, boldly, he looked her in the eye and took one last desperate shot. "Maybe much of what you say is true. I am in... some difficulty right now. But you are not my only option, merely my easiest one. I have reason to believe I am not where I was when this time is."

"Grade school?" Nabiki quipped with an arched eyebrow.

"Watashi no Daigakusejin desu, Tendo San." He said with a faint smile that told her clearly she did NOT know everything. "And if I am not where I am supposed to be, I think I can- with a little ... effort... and time, get back to my home land, build the money I need for what I plan, and not have to share with you a /penny/.. er, Yen." His eyes burned with determination. "Also I do not get along with my grandmother in this year of my life, and do not wish to... repeat the years I will live with her."

Nabiki nodded. He'd managed to gain back a little of the ground he'd lost on her revelation, but not nearly all of it. He still had some options left to him, albeit they weren't pleasant apparently in his estimation. She wondered what was so bad about living with his grandmother, her grandmother had been such a sweet old lady. And even if his grandmother wasn't very nice, what trouble could a woman so old possibly cause?

-A.N. Forgive her, she hasn't yet met Cologne.-

Well, the best option available to her was to enact any leash she could on the gaijin, then milk him for every yen she could over the next eleven years. Each leash she could lay on him would be another percentage she could draw from his account into her own, and she was certain that- canny gaijin or no- the combination of her superior mind and feminine wiles would have him working for free in no time at all. For a moment, she felt a stab of guilt at this, but she ruthlessly crushed it. After all, it wasn't like he had no choice in the matter, and he wasn't Japanese. It would even make a kind of payback for the way the American Economy forced Japan to piggy back on it for so many decades after World War two- a subject in history which still offended her national pride.

Andrew knew full well that if she didn't have him by the short and curlies, she certainly had hooked a fish-hook into his underwear when she said, "Well, it's not as if anyone would let a penniless gaijin stay in their motel on credit, is it? Why don't you come and stay at the Tendo dojo while we get you back on your feet."

Andrew might not have been so smart as Nabiki, but he was no fool, and- while the city was sometimes ruthless, he loved living in Las Vegas and could play that game right to the hilt, and the one thing he had in spades was the ability to lock eyes with a rabid doberman. "Oh, also, Tendo san?" He added sweetly, a sharp counterpoint to the return of his Casino smile.

"Hmm?" Her expression was confident, but there was a touch of uncertainty in her voice.

"It may be a good idea to... deal in good faith. I know much, and I can... damage much with what I know. Even if you think you can get a better deal and own me as you do your comrade- compatriot, fellow- FELLOW students, you would gain more with me as a willing ally than an unwilling... servant. Sometimes the best way to- win, is not to play."

Nabiki weighed his last statement carefully. 'Yes, definitely dangerous to cross,' She thought to herself. 'This is not someone to play loosely with. It will take some careful work to win against this one.' For a moment she pondered the possibility of an actual partnership, before deciding to hold off judgement for the time being. 'This Andrew san is a very... interesting one. Maybe he might be worth keeping around as more than a resource or souvenir of an extremely lucky break in her favor. "Whatever you say, Andrew Kun."

Andrew nodded, then followed along as she led the way- never mind that he already knew the way to the dojo on his own. 'When dealing cards,' he reminded himself, 'it's always well advised to let them think they have the better hand when the bidding rolls around.'

--

Alright, that is the conclusion of the negotiations between Nabs and Andy. And no, I don't intend for a pair up between them- never mind that they are both larcenous at heart, they are too much alike and anything that popped up between them would likely be doomed from the start. There's a little attraction there, and it will make for a good bit of tension in the story, but unless something in my attitude or his attitude changes drastically it's just not gonna happen. Besides, he may look 19, but he's almost 31 years old, and is married to the love of his life. I don't know if he will ever get back to where he belongs, but if he doesn't, he won't be over his wife for a long time. Not to mention that he has absolutely no interest in younger women.

Thank you for the reviews, but don't think the chapters will be released at this rate all the time. I have a home business and a second job and my time is not easy to leverage- I've written all these chapters on my Sidekick phone on my breaks at work. And to the makers of the Sidekick, call it free advertising for you guys, cause I don't have any money to sue for anyhow. I don't have any serious fight scenes planned out for this fic, although the aftermath of an altercation or two are still planned, but compared to most of the Nerima Wrecking Crew, Andrew is barely a step above non combatant- more like a civilian carrying around a pellet gun in a warzone. He'll spend most of his time running if anything actually goes down. Maybe later he'll learn some techniques, and he's trained enough to come up with some ideas on his own, but without an actual Nerima sensei, he's not gonna be fighting anybody back.

Stay tuned for Chapter 3, where Ranma and Nabiki laugh at Andrew's martial arts skills, Andrew chickens out for the first- but not the last- time in interest of his health, and Andrew bemoans the lack of all the comforts of home, in Chapter 3: Artistic License! See you then!

-AXENOME


	4. Chapter 3: Artistic License

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: The Echo

Chapter 3: Artistic License

' '- denotes thoughts

""- denotes words spoken in Japanese. Sometimes will actually be in Japanese.

"/ /"- denotes words spoken in English.

Andrew frowned thoughtfully as he looked at the dojo. It showed the obvious signs of many a repair, and he could almost tell what order they'd happened in. looking down at the floor, he could see in the deepest depressions between the varnished board fine red dust, the remnants of countless broken bricks.

The familiarity of the dojo made Andrew almost ache to be home.

Six years. He'd been married for almost six years, now, the six best years of his life. Each day he woke up to look to his right, feeling the same joy and love tug at his heart, a little harder each time. A sudden pain tore at him as he realized that he might never see her again. What joy, restored youth, what lure, the extra years, if they meant he was separated from who he wanted to share them with?

The thought of it made him sick and weak; he stumbled back against the wall and felt the urge to cry.

He focused his eyes on the dojo floor, and, forcing his mind away from the memories, tried to focus on the here and now as he tried to practice his _poomses._

--

Unnoticed by the stranger, two pairs of eyes were watching him from a nearly closed door.

"Well?" Nabiki asked in a low voice. "What do you think?"

"Feh." Ranma sneered. "His form is sloppy and he ain't nearly fast enough. Akane could take him apart without even trying. His technique and concepts..." Ranma fell silent.

Nabiki waited for Ranma to continue before losing patience. "What's he doing right now?" She asked. "I don't recognize those katas."

"They're called poomses- the katas of Tae Kwon Do." Ranma gave a quick shrug. "As far as the traditional art goes, it's not too bad, so long as the sensei teachin it includes all the original ground fighting techniques. But most Tae Kwon Do schools are just belt factories run by aerobics instructors."

"Go on, about his technique and concepts?" Nabiki prodded.

After a grudging moment, Ranma finally answered. "He's got like ten or twelve different arts he's trying to mix up into each other. He's pulling seventy-thirty stances from Tai chi while tryin ta make hip throw motions from Judo, and he's puttin all different other stuff in between." Andrew's movements shifted from his sedate waiting stance into a strange side to side set of steps that looked almost like a dance move. "There he goes, mixin stuff up again. It's... weird." Ranma had a strange look on his face that Nabiki had never seen before on him- it was so unfamiliar she had no clue what it meant. "That dancing he's doing there-he's not very good at it, his feet aren't solid and he isn't sinking low enough, but he's tryin to build a rhythm for himself. And he isn't limiting himself to practicing with the music," Ranma noted with a bit of approval.

"And?" Nabiki prompted impatiently.

"It's called a Genga, and it comes from this South American martial art called Capoeira. It was a system of unarmed fighting developed by slaves, they had ta disguise it as a dance to keep the slave owners from knowing what they were learnin. They used a lot of tumblin and round motions for it, but what makes it a strong style is it's kinda like drunken boxing, cause they train to launch an attack from any point in the dance and from nearly any angle. But look at him-" Ranma pointed at a particularly clumsy kick coming from a half step forward. "He ain't got a clue how to make what he knows work together. He's just usin what formal trainin he's had and tryin ta bring it all together, everything he's seen. I'd say he's been watchin martial artists and fighters a long time, but actually havin someone there to correct his moves? Couple years, tops. And all that was split up between arts, no good focus except in Tae Kwon Do. He's got formal training in that, Judo, Tai Chi Chuan, and kickboxing, and everything else he's tryin to put together he's copied by watching- probably from a distance, or at least outside the dojo window."

Nabiki stifled a derisive giggle as she watched Andrew fall flat out trying a wide circling kick, but Ranma watched him thoughtfully, no disdain or even condescension in his gaze. "He's just doin trial and error," Ranma said softly, "makin it up as he goes along. Tryin ta find what works without nobody there to show him how they all click together."

Nabiki looked away from Andrew's next attempt at the circling kick, knowing the result by the thud sound as she fixed Ranma with an incredulous look. "You sound like you almost respect him."

"His art sucks." Ranma said flatly. "But he has a little talent, he's in ok shape, and he wants this with every fiber of his being. In a way... it's almost like watchin someone try to build an Anything Goes style from the ground up, without anyone there to teach... or guide..." He stopped again, no emotion in his eyes as he watched Andrew try again. Andrew managed to keep his feet as he threw the kick this time, but his foot slid out from under him and he fell out of his rhythm. "He coulda been a pretty good martial artist if he'd had a teacher who knew what he was doin. Maybe even still could be."

Nabiki turned her head back to watch Andrew as he tried the kick again, this time only wobbling a bit as he did so, not quite breaking the pace of his dance this time. Without really knowing why, she got up and walked away suddenly not wanting to watch the gaijin anymore.

Behind her, Ranma continued to eye the American with a practiced and professional eye, taking mental notes as he did.

--

Andrew sank down in the middle of the dojo floor. Again, he had done horribly. He hated it, not feeling it flow like it did in his mind's eye, his long damaged ankles betraying him, his flexibility not good enough. His mind called up every flaw in what he'd done trying to mix things up, trying to find the purest and most usable form of everything he'd seen, and like always, he'd made next to no progress. Oh, sure, he'd manged to incorporate a spin into an outside round kick from a couple points in the Genga, but it was still a far cry from what he'd seen done in capoeira by even the novice student he'd practiced the dance with in LA as a kid. Like always, what little seemed to mix well was overshadowed by the things that didn't work, and he cringed at the things that flopped so horribly he'd felt disgust at even trying.

Andrew felt his latest collection of bruises from his many falls and knew the despair that he had known when he was still thirty and failing. He was above average in strength and speed, had good reflexes, a reasonably tight defense, and all of it enhanced by a body back in the prime of his youth. But for what?

Andrew had grown up fighting, and had come to love the tight breath, tight muscled, high adrenaline, high stakes emotion that came with it. He'd been a fighter for most of his life, but here he was a rank amateur. Here, he was less than an amateur he was a helpless non combatant. Fighting anyone that mattered here would be less than pointless- not only would he not learn anything, he likely wouldn't even see anything before they creamed him.

"Hey, done already?" Asked a brash voice from the far end of the dojo. "Geez, I always knew Americans were weak, but man, that was even more pathetic than I woulda guessed." Andrew turned his head to see who had mirrored his own assessment of his performance and gulped. There, as large as life and twice as smooth, flowed Ranma, walking like a liquid wisp, moving so gracefully he seemed to drift over the floor rather than walk the distance.

"I feel kinda lame for even askin, but you wanna spar?" Ranma asked, finally stopping a few feet away.

"Uh... I do not think myself ready for this," Andrew said nervously.

"Cheh. I always knew Americans were cowards." Ranma said insultingly. "More attached to their TV's than to anything that requires discipline."

Andrew knew it was a stupid thing, but he felt his temper rise as the words ran back and forth screaming though his head. 'Damn these teenage hormones,' he thought to himself.

Andrew knew Ranma's pattern, probably better than Ranma knew himself. He would goad him and anger him into making mistakes, then pummel the hell out of him. Not, of course, as though Ranma couldn't do so without it. Or blindfolded. Or even hogtied, for that matter. Instead of rising to the bait, Andrew settled for a parting comment. "I am not worth your time to fight. Trying to fight me reduces your... worth. You insult yourself by trying to get me to fight you." Andrew stood up, picking up his backpack before giving Ranma a short bow. "I apologize for taking up your dojo floor space."

Ranma looked after him in confusion. All he'd done was offer to help the guy out. 'Figure some people out,' Ranma glowered. 'Just cause I don't got a licence to teach don't mean I can't help him clean up his stuff! I mean, he could use pointers from anybody, he oughta be glad I'm the one tryin ta do it! What a jerk!'

--

Andrew growled angrily as he sat out on the back porch step. He couldn't surf the web on his phone, he knew painfully well that he wouldn't meet his best friend Richard for another six months in his old life, and Rad Pill energy drinks hadn't been invented yet.

The thought ran through his mind quite clearly: 'This _living in the past_ bit sucks.'

End Chapter Three

--

Alright, I've apparently hit some kind of a roll with this story- it hasn't stopped flowing yet and I've been able to capture the feel of it reasonably well over the last couple of days.

Have a few rough spots in this chapter I'm not 100 percent happy with, but they'll do for the time being. The misunderstanding of Ranma's intent at the end is understandable, I think, as Ranma has no real communication skills to speak of, and Andrew has just finished working out and is tired and hurting. Physically as well as spiritually.

Anyhow, as always, please pass on the C&C if you like or dislike, and thanks for reading!

-AXENOME


	5. Chapter 4: Dinner, Disaster

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: The Echo

Chapter 4: Dinner, Disaster, and Other "D" Words

' '- denotes thoughts

""- denotes words spoken in Japanese. Sometimes will actually be in Japanese.

"/ /"- denotes words spoken in English.

The first night went smoothly enough, but the second night was... uncomfortable. Andrew was familiar with the general state of finances in the Tendo dojo- generally ranging from tight to awful in alternating sequences- and had found himself in the position of being another freeloader. Somehow, the excellence of Kasumi's cooking living up to its reputation made him feel worse about it.

"So, Andrew san." Began Soun as he began taking a bit of the chicken onto his bowl. "Tell me how you know my Nabiki."

"I... do not know her well," Andrew admitted. "I have only been in Japan a week, and we only met yesterday."

The quiet at the table was both uncomfortable and lasting.

"I found out he was stranded here, Daddy." Nabiki finally said, breaking the silence. "Since he had no place to go, not even a hotel, I figured I could offer him a place to stay for a while."

Soun's expression was wounded. Another freeloader? it seemed to ask. But Nabiki continued on before he could protest. "I mean, after all, Daddy, you have a couple of guests, and even Akane is hosting her fiancee's biggest rival, I guess I didn't want to be left out."

The blank looks of confusion were fairly universal save for the faces of Andrew, Ranma, and a certain black pig being cradled in the arms of a mystified Tendo Akane.

Andrew, meanwhile was wrestling with his conscience. It was one thing to laugh at the plight of the cursed Ryoga- but it was another thing entirely to sit at the table and witness the daggers being glared at the pig, returned in spades by he and Akane both. Finally, knowing where Ryoga would end up tonight if Andrew said nothing, he set his chopsticks on the table with a grimace and stood up.

"Tendo san." He said, addressing Soun. "I apologize for the problem I make with this. I can not be silent."

"With what?" Soun responded curiously.

"Your house is... disrupted. By a one who is cursed." Andrew said with difficulty.

"Hey!" Snapped Ranma angrily. "Who do you think you are? I live here!"

Andrew rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Not you, Saotome san. I mean Hibiki san."

The black pig stared at Andrew in horror as the American spoke. "I must do this because it is wrong not to. Ryoga is that pig."

And just like that, dinner was ruined, history was changed, and Andrew quickly learned that, even as a pig, Ryoga could still kick his ass.

--

Andrew sat nursing a long cut on his arm while he felt the slow puffiness of his impending shiner throb his left eye inexorably shut. 'That's interesting.' He thought to himself. 'Looks like I'm gonna have a second scar to go along with that knife line."

He rotated his left wrist outward to get a better look at the new cut, which ran at only a slight diagonal to the shorter scar from his early teens. The motion pulled it open again, and the oozing blood increased. 'Wonder if I'll still have the scar from this when I get home.'

A shudder wracked him, as he wondered if he ever WOULD get home. He closed his eyes and wished with all his being that he could feel Darlene's touch on his cheek, hear her mischeivous giggle, wished for the chance to hold her and kiss her forehead, knowing how she would lean against him and close her eyes as he did. Just like she had for the almost ten years he'd known her, not just the six he'd been married.

His eyes sprang open as he felt something warm splash on his wrist- a tear that he hadn't realized he'd been crying.

"Wow. Guess you really ARE soft, if a little scratch like that can make you cry." Ranma commented from the doorway.

Andrew was surprised at his own reaction to the note of disgust in Ranma's voice- Not scorn, not anger, not resentment, but... pity. Pity for the human contact that Ranma had been deprived of for ten years, pity that he'd never known the touch of gentle empathy. "Not the cut, Saotome san. I have not mentioned this before, but I am- was- will be, married." Andrew thought for a moment on the complexities of describing an event that he had done that hadn't yet occured- time travel is a hassle to describe in any language.

Ranma looked skeptical. "You can't be married- you ain't even that old."

Andrew smiled gently, then laughed suddenly, while Ranma's face darkened. "Hey, why you laughin at me?" Ranma demanded.

"Ah, Ranma san. Gomen nasai." Andrew replied. "I keep forgetting how I look. How little you know of me. I know I look to be a teenager but I am almost thirty-one years old. I am six years married, and I have known my prisoner for ten years."

-AN: In Japanese, the word for "prisoner" and the word for "husband" are very similar. Andrew has suffered a mild case of gender confusion combined with mispronunciation. Another such example of similar words becoming a joke are the words "Widow" and "Toaster Oven"

"Prisoner?" Asked Ranma, baffled.

"My husband, I mean." Andrew said.

Ranmas confusion grew, before he belatedly realized, "Oh, you mean 'wife.'"

"Hai. Surewa onna desu." Andrew nodded, angry with himself. The husband/prisoner confusion was a common joke in Japanese culture, almost cliche in its usage, very similar to the wife/handcuffs joke in Mexican Spanish. He felt his face redden as his poor command of Japanese betrayed him yet again.

Ranma stared at the foreign boy for a minute. 'Wait, was he tryin ta make a joke? Except he got the whole guy/girl thing confused.'

Ranma mused darkly that with himself and his curse around, such mistakes were maybe even predictable. "Yeah, well, it ain't like I asked for this."

Andrew favored him with a mysterious look and seemed to think this over, before understanding came. "You mean your curse."

Ranma nodded angrily. "Yeah, that's another thing." He walked a few steps closer to stand directly in front of Andrew. "You weren't surprised or nothin by my curse. You already knew about it, didn't you? Come on, fess up, how'd you hear about it? Who told you?"

Andrew smiled faintly, noting another bruise on his right cheekbone as he did. Who would have guessed a six pound piglet could hit that hard? "I think better question for you to ask is, how do I know about Ryoga's curse." Andrew said in a neutral tone.

Ranma's mental train ground to a halt. "Huh? Yeah, that too. You been to Jusenkyou?"

"It is not important." Andrew said. "I have already changed much by accident. Because I was a fool. I spoke without thought for what might happen after."

"Yeah." Ranma laughed. "Who woulda guessed Ryoga could stomp you even as a porker?"

"It is not as simple as that. Bodily danger does not worry me." Andrew shrugged. "Another time, I may show you my scars. I do not fear pain, but I do avoid it when it is not need- not needed. What was foolish is I did not think of what I know making me change... things."

Ranma looked even more confused than before. "Whaddaya mean?"

Andrew sat and ran through the jumble of words in his head, before managing to pull a meaning out of the tangle of abbreviated Japanese. "I do not know how I was stranded here. What I knew of here is gone. But I have seen... pictures? Visions? of this place. And I know a little of what comes next. Except now what is happening has changed from what I saw before- because I was not here in the pictures I saw."

Ranma shook his head. "But- does that make you some kinda psychic or somethin?"

Andrew noticed that his arm had mostly stopped oozing again, and he began gently cleaning it around the edges with a cotton swap. "I think that is a good way to say it. But I do not know certainly now what will come next. Because when I saw those things I was not in them."

Ranma nodded. "Okay, I can understand that. I think."

Andrew nodded as well. "I think that there is much you and I may teach each other."

Ranma replied to that with a snort. "What can YOU teach me?"

Andrew seemed to consider something for a few long moments, before saying, "I know that your curse makes you unhappy, but it is not so bad a thing."

"What would you know about it!" Demanded Ranma angrily. "How would you know what it's like to be scared of cold water, having guys think weird stuff about you cause they think you're a chick?!"

"I have not personally been through it." Andrew said. "But those problems are not your own- and a decent person does not act in such a way. Their behavior is their problem. And I do not think I would be bothered by it so much- not so bad as turning into a food animal."

Ranma sat quietly for a moment, wrestling with this concept. Slowly, his brain was shifted into the unfamiliar realm of putting himself in someone else's shoes.

"And beside this," Andrew said with a secretive smile, "I also know some... techniques? That, while I may never master them, I at least have the knowledge of how they would be taught to you."

Ranma untied the poor sentence structure for a few seconds before he realized the stranger was offering to teach him something about martial arts. "Yeah, I doubt you know anything I haven't already mastered years ago."

Ranma felt a moment of discomfort at the look Andrew threw his way. "You will see, Saotome san. You will see."

End Chapter Four

--

Well, quarter to twelve and I am still moving. Wonder how much farther I can get before sleep rears its ugly head and crashes me?

-AXENOME


	6. Chapter 5: Hot Pursuit

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 5: Hot Pursuit

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese. Wait for it.

May 3, 1997

/I_t has been two weeks since I have come to live under the roof of the Tendo Dojo. I have been saving my shares of the betting pools and such that I have influenced, and have bought myself a futon. It is cheap, but serviceable, and means I do not have to sleep on the hard wood floor. I have used some of my earnings to pay a small rent for staying, and even occasionally buy groceries for the dojo. The last I do only sparingly, for it is exceedingly costly for me to do so, and I suspect that the only reason I am allowed to buy at all here is because it has come to be known that I am staying here. _

_/I have also made a couple of mistakes. The gentle friendship that should have sprung up between Ryoga and Akane was murdered in its infancy by my revelation at the dinner table. Because of this, I fear Akane will never grow closer to Ranma- indeed, quite the opposite, as she has done nothing but relentlessly push him away since. The tone of their interaction has changed utterly, and even their fathers can sense it. _

_/I'd never understood it from watching the anime, but Ryoga's friendship managed to get past the mental barrier Akane's mind had erected to deal with the unwanted attentions of the boys who constantly wanted to date her, and turned to violence in their affections. Now, the gentling of her attitude that would allow Ranma into her heart has been wiped away, replaced with an even greater dislike for men in general. _

_/The fathers are beside themselves- even they have lost there assurance that the two will eventually work things out, given enough time. They have lost their playfulness in their scheming, their desperation increasingly apparent as they try again and again to get them to talk to one another. Ranma is the only one who even tries halfheartedly, now, and even that much interest is fading. Soun and Genma now have the aura of a doctor watching a long term patient suddenly take a turn for the worse, and having no idea of why or how to fix it, he knows he must do something. They carry this frantic desperation with them now wherever they go. _

_/The most distressing part is that Nabiki has seen the mess I have made of things, and is pretty annoyed. I am only grateful that I'm not subject to peer pressure or highschool, and so she has that much less hold over me. Yet I suppose even that woudn't have been so bad, as if that were the case I'd have never mde the SECOND mistake./_

Andrew looked over at the other sleepers in the dojo and sighed guiltily. His shoulder still ached from the bonbori. He had been so focused on trying to avert one mess that he'd inadvertently created a bigger one.

Andrew had tried to make up to Ryoga, but the lost boy had refused to accept his apologies, only refraining from beating Andrew senseless on the ground that it was wrong to bully the weak. The assessment stung all the more for it being based in truth, as her Andrew was barely above the status on non combatant. Finally, in a moment of desperation, Andrew mentioned there was a way Ryoga might get back into the good graces of the youngest Tendo daughter. But, to do so, he would have to be at the house at a specific time, and incidentally, he would be saving her life.

Andrew spoke later with Ranma, giving his best impression of an Oracle, informing Ranma that if he wanted to avoid the biggest trouble he would ever face, and avoid a lifetime of grief, he had better avoid the dojo on a particular afternoon.

Unlike with the revelation of P-chan, Andrew had put a little thought into what could go wrong- he even led Ryoga around to ensure he didn't get lost at the wrong time. But the only thing he didn't take into account was the likely reaction of one Tendo Akane.

He and Ryoga had arrived at the critical moment, when Xian Pu demanded Akane stop hiding the location of 'Girl type Ranma' and Akane countering that she neither knew where Ranma was nor did she care. Enraged, Xian Pu announced that obstacles were for killing, and lunged forward with her bonbori.

"Akane!" Ryoga shouted, parrying the bonbori with his umbrella and driving it back into the face of the Amazon warrior. She lost her grip on the weapon, and it ricocheted off her head, catching Andrew a glancing blow on the right shoulder than knocked him to the ground.

"Ryoga no BAKA!" Akane yelled, stomping her foot.

Ryoga froze, bewildered. "Akane... I was.. I just wanted to protect you..." He began.

Akane screamed, "I don't NEED your protection!" as she slammed Ryoga face first into the floor boards, before stomping off, muttering, "I'm a martial artist too!"

Andrew regained his feet and rushed over to Ryoga, slapping his face- left handed- lightly to wake him. "Ryoga san, I am so sorry, I never thought she would react like this to you!"

Ryoga opened his eyes, still shocked. "But... I just wanted..."

Both of their eyes were drawn to the Amazon as she shook her head to clear it, before walking over the Ryoga and picking him up off the ground. "/-Wo da Airen. Wo ai ni.-/" she said, before kissing him full on the lips.

Ryoga shivered and did a full body blush before a trickle of blood dripped out of his nose. His last words before fainting were, "Akane, I'm sorry... Andrew, this is... all... your... fault..."

--

Ryoga woke slowly, noting that he'd slept unusually well the previous night. He began to stretch, only to halt immediately as he realized the was something draped across his shoulder and chest. He turned his head to look down-

-And got an extremely close up view of an extremely lovely young woman with purple hair. One who was cuddled up to him inside of his sleeping bag. As she apparently felt his movement, she stirred sleepily, looked up into his eyes, and smiled.

"/-Wo ai ni.-/" she said to him, before leaning forward and kissing him.

Ryoga felt his pulse thunder in his head before he passed out yet again.

--

Andrew knew he'd screwed up big time. "Shampoo."

The purple haired girl growled angrily. "Xian Pu!" She snapped.

Andrew tried again. "Shian poo."

Xian Pu grabbed her hair as though she wanted to pull it out. "Aiyah! Forget it! Xian Pu is tired of correcting Stupid American Boy! Just call Xian Pu, Shampoo!"

"I just wanted to say it correctly..." he began lamely.

"Xian Pu tell you an hour ago before we start this, Xian Pu no CARE!" She snapped.

Andrew sighed in frustration. He'd had the same problem before with a customer in Las Vegas in his old life, a Norwegian man named Mike Sather. After eight months of trying to pronounce the man's last name correctly, he had given up and just called him Mike.

"I am sorry for this." Andrew said. "I will try harder-"

"NO try harder!" Xian Pu interrupted. "No is IMPORTANT! Xian Pu understand what Stupid American Boy is try to say, so no butcher Xian Pu name any more than HAVE to!"

Andrew began rubbing his temples- he'd done a lot of this since he'd come here. Somehow, he always seemed to develop a headache whenever he interacted with this crowd. "Then I will... follow your wishes in this." He nodded and gave a short bow.

Xian Pu smiled at his easy acquiescence. "Is good find man what knows him place here in barbarian Japan. Great grandmother say Japan is backward place what let men run things, no find man what can swallow pride and follow good orders, only let ego tell him what to do. Is maybe because you is American and no have spine?"

Andrew stared at the young amazon in amazement. Was she trying to be deliberately offensive? After finding no malice or spite in her face or tone, Andrew made the first analogy he could, without thinking it through, of why bigotry was a bad thing. "Uh, not all Americans are the same. Like your sisters Ling Ling and Lung Lung. They are not very much like you. Yet someone who had met them and not met you may assume that all Nyucheizu base their fighting styles around hypnotizing music."

"What is you point?" Xian Pu asked.

"I mean, your fighting style is much different, more serious and not as silly. Would you want someone to think that just because you are the same tribe as they are that they know you without ever having to meet you?"

Xian Pu thought this over for a few seconds. While she adored Ling Ling and Lung Lung, their willingness to share a single husband between them made her uncomfortable. Grudgingly, she admitted, "Is true, Xian Pu no want people judge her before they meet her. Xian Pu guess she understand."

Andrew smiled to himself in relief. 'Progress!' He thought to himself.

"Now, Xian Pu have only one question." Said the purple haired girl.

"Hai, surewa nani desuka?" Andrew replied.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Andrew felt a cold lump form in his stomach. "How stupid American Boy know Amazon sisters Ling Ling and Lung Lung?"

--

Nabiki sipped her tea. "The oolong tea you got yesterday is very good, Kasumi.

The sound of thumping footsteps thudded down the outer walkway as Andrew ran full tilt past the open door, lightly bumping into the screen as he made a tight turn and leaped over the guide rail, landing somewhat clumsily before he ran out into the yard. Xian Pu pounded after him hot on his heels. "Stupid American Boy need stop running or Xian Pu just hurt him more when she catch!"

"Do you think so?" The eldest Tendo daughter asked. "I got it from a new store. I think it's a little strong, myself."

"I do not know anything!" Howled the young man, slipping on a wet rock next to the koi pond and nearly getting smashed by a bonbori because of it. "It was a lucky guess!"

Nabiki shrugged. "I like it strong. You get a better taste of the undertones."

"Stupid American Boy think Xian Pu as stupid as him is? You stop running from Xian Pu now!" There was a wicked hiss followed by a heavy crashing as a thrown bonbori impacted the outer wall; Kasumi sighed. "Oh dear- it looks as though we'll have to call the repairman again. Andrew san needs to be more careful while he's playing with Shampoo."

Nabiki took a careful look outside and smiled internally- the repair was going to easily cost 22,000 yen. At this rate, breaking Andrew's wallet was going to be a piece of cake.

--

Later that night, Andrew disabused her of THAT notion. "It will not work- your argument does not stand."

"Excuse me?" Nabiki said. "I can't possibly have heard that correctly. It sounded to me like you just tried to contradict me."

"The Amazon is at fault, not I. I will not pay a single yen for that repair. Make her pay it, or if she can not, make her fix it herself."

"Why should I?" Nabiki snorted. "There isn't a court in Japan that would support you, Andrew kun."

"Because I am gaijin?" Andrew countered. "I think you forget something. I am a foreigner, but I was not attacked by a Nihonjin. I was being attacked by another foreigner, a Chinese foreigner no less. And there were several eye witnesses both in and out of the dojo that saw me make no attacks, only run away, to defend myself."

Nabiki seethed for a few seconds as she realized he had her there. For a moment, she considered bribing the witnesses, but then rejected that notion out of hand. She may have done some morally questionable things, but she never broke the law outright, most especially not in so obvious a fashion.

Andrew looked at her with a faint smile. "I like that about you, Nabiki san."

Nabiki gave a sudden start. This was the first time Andrew had ever called her anything other than 'Tendo san.' Not that 'Nabiki san' was much less formal, but it implied that Andrew was starting to get used to her, that he was seeing her as more than a polite stranger. She couldn't for the life of her understand why this fact had her so rattled.

Finally, she managed to get out, "Um, what's that?"

Andrew had a slightly wistful look on his face, mixed with... fondness? "That when you know you have made a mistake, you do not hide from it or yourself. You face it and rethink, you face reality with an always open and clever mind."

Nabiki's mouth dropped open a little as she gasped. She knew she was a pretty girl, and had taken advantage of that in the past with others to gain an edge in negotiations, but he didn't let her looks affect him. He wasn't just another gaijin to her anymore. The full impact of what he'd said hit her then, that he'd complimented her mind, and the second bomb hit her- that he wasn't even just another guy to her.

She felt a warmth rise in her face, but suddenly, his seemingly fond expression changed.

--

Andrew looked at Nabiki as her face froze in shock from his words, before reddening into a full blush. Her flattered expression reached out to him- when she had that look on her face, she looked just like-

Andrew felt the bottom drop out from under his feet, and he jumped up and ran from the room, from the house, out into the yard. He stood for a trembling minute trying to get control of himself, before walking on to the dojo.

Ryoga was already asleep, and Xian Pu had subsequently at some time snuck in and cuddled up with him, so Andrew tried to make himself comfortable.

He couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

End Chapter 5

--

Wow, that was a long one.

Well, thanks for the support you guys have given me so far- if you really like it, feel free to invite people to read it. Thanks especially for the feedback Borg, Dream.

As to teaching Ranma ahead of schedule, Andrew is planning on doing so, but is starting to suspect that he may be able to do a technique on his own. His ability to feel his Ki plus his older perspective means he may be able to enact the Soul of Ice technique far in advance to when Ranma learns it. He also knows that he doesn't dare try to teach any Amazon techniques until Shampoo leaves- regardless of whether she knows them or not, she'll almost certainly recognize them, and Cologne may show up on the scene sooner than anyone can plan for if he does.

Okay, all that remains is: Coming next, Andrew runs into a situation he fears- a one on one with Genma Saotome! Can he come out of this with the shirt on his back? Stay tuned next time for Echo chapter six: Father to Father!

-AXENOME


	7. Chapter 6: Father to Father

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 6: Father to Father

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens unless in Andrew's journal.  
"/ /"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

May 10, 1997

/I am miserable. The stress is getting to be too much for me. Having to pussy foot around multiple world class martial artists is becoming too much to take. I am avoiding Shampoo so she doesn't start asking questions again, avoiding Ryoga so I don't have to keep apologizing to keep my facial features in their current positions and proportions, avoiding Ranma and his constant urging to "Spar" against him, and avoiding Akane and Genma just on general principles. I don't trust Genma as far as I could throw him in panda form, and Akane hates guys, me included. And unlike Ryoga, she has no compunctions against performing acts of brutality against someone who isn't as skilled as she is; I'd rather just avoid contact if at all possible to minimize the possibility of her jumping to a conclusion and enforcing a solution before I can protest my innocence.

/In the meantime I am bit by bit saving up what money I can with the betting pools and other various and sundry that Nabiki runs around the school and neighborhood. I've already warned her that at this point things are so different that I can at most offer her educated guesses for the majority of her bets, but she seems confident in my guesses, and for the most part they seem to pan out fairly well. I suppose that living in Vegas has done me a favor in this regard, as I've been able to help Nabiki hone her odds she offers to a finer point than even she has done til now, and since we've colluded to form the point spread we've pulled in more suckers and haven't turned a negative profit on anything yet.

/She and I have become actual partners, more or less, after our run in a couple of nights ago. She's stopped trying to bankrupt me and I've been more forthcoming with what I know, so we're both on a more even footing, and I am coming to know a lot more about her than I had ever guessed was there from watching the anime. She is clever, yes, and shrewd beyond her years. She's also the fastest learner I've ever met. I have tentatively introduced her to the concept of Dungeons and Dragons, something of an addiction I've had since I was 9 years old. Strangely, while this is technically ten years ago now, it's twenty one years in my past. Time travel is bizarre like that. Back to the topic of D&D, she seemed to enjoy the short dungeon I ran her through with a basic fighter, very much like the first one I ran through all those years ago. I think the biggest appeal to anyone for D&D is the dice, all those varied and fascinating geometric shapes that provide a more or less even chance of any of the numbers resulting in face up. Fascinating stuff to anyone who enjoys the mathematical precision of geometric shapes, which conforms closely to the group of people who enjoy crunching numbers in their heads. Say the aUb set. Of which apparently both Nabiki and myself are a part. aUb (Nabiki, Me, engineers...) Bleh enough of the math.

/I am coming to grips with the fact that my presence here seems to be static. I am terrified that I will never see Darlene again. I don't know what I'll do once I can afford to go home; at this point, I wonder if I want to sometimes. And while I would give anything for it, I realize that I only miss one thing, and that is my wife here with me. /

Andrew sat brooding on the porch out back, looking at the koi pond. Early afternoon, and the only people home were Genma, Soun, and Kasumi. 'I guess that, to whatever powers that exist here, I don't rate high enough to attract the ever present weirdness of this place.' He thought to himself. 'Probably a good thing. No, definitely a good thing. I'm too old for that kind of nonsense.'

A koi splashed at the edge of the pond. Andrew couldn't remember if that was supposed to be an omen of something or not.

'This is what it's like to be part of a completely different culture,' He thought to himself. So many things, rooted in that part of history that was uniquely Japan's to develop and grow into, the commonality of Shinto, which he still didn't really understand. That last fact made him a little sad, for some reason.

His peaceful ruminations were disrupted by the sound of reckless anger. "Ranma no BAKA!"

Andrew grimaced. 'School's out. Time to start hiding again.' As he got up, he pulled out the umbrella that he'd taken to carrying with him whenever he suspected he'd be in the same vicinity as Ranma or Ryoga.

His preparation was well worth it, as Ranma sailed from over the wall to land directly in the koi pond, sending sprays of water everywhere. Curses aside, Andrew detested the idea of being soaked with fishy smelling pond water.

"Aw geez, Akane, look what you did now!" Ranma complained. "I gotta get some hot water before-"

"Girl type Ranma!" Yelled Xian Pu from the door to the dojo. "You die now!"

Ranma gave a short scream and started running as a bonbori smashed into the stones bordering the koi pond. Pursuit was on as the two leaped over the wall. Andrew got up and headed into the kitchen. "Ten is on 5:30." He said to Nabiki in passing.

"Later or earlier?" She replied.

"Later. She threw her bonbori and didn't pick it up in passing, so it's not gonna be weighing her down. I think she'll last a while today before she gives up." Andrew replied, and walked out of the kitchen to go sit down in the living room.

Nabiki nodded, then made a series of short phone calls to her various contacts, passing along odds to give for the Saturday afternoon chase. After a few minutes, she hung up the phone for the last time and nodded. "They're all set. Sure he'll be okay?"

Andrew shrugged. "Pretty sure. She never caught him before in that other history."

"Not that Akane would mind." Nabiki said with a sigh. "She seems to hate and distrust him more every day."

"And he aches from it each day, from the heart." Andrew observed morosely. "She was the first one here who seemed to be nice to him, and first impressions dig in deep, especially for someone as starved for affection as he must have been."

"Your Japanese has gotten a lot better, Andrew sa- kun." Nabiki winced a little at the slip.

Andrew blinked at this. 'Was she going to say san? or sama?' He wondered. She hadn't been especially formal, some might say even flippantly informal, almost since they first met. As strange as the thought seemed to him, he was almost positive she was about to say sama. The sama honorific was one used mainly to denote great respect or affection, respect such as to a leader or the Emperor, or else affection such as between lovers or married couples. 'She can't possibly think of you that way,' he mentally berated himself. 'You're gaijin, the stigma she'd receive for that would be unbearable, and she knows this. You have to be mistaken.'

His burgeoning mental debate was cut short by the arrival of Ryoga. He got to his feet and, with a quick duck behind a corner into a side room, Andrew waited for Ryoga to wander back out of the living room.

"So. I understand you were trying to help my son."

Andrew suppressed a shudder as he recognized the voice. Turning around, he faked a smile. "I only do my best to keep harmony."

"Harmony?" Scoffed Genma. "A martial artist does not seek harmony in his environment, which he cannot control, but only in himself. He does not ask for harmony from those around him. The only harmony a martial artist ever tries to gain is the complete agreement between mind and body. All else is illusion."

"I do not understand." Andrew admitted. Then, with more barb than he intended, he added, "There are many things I do not understand about you, Genma Saotome."

"There is something strange about you, boy." Genma said. "You always seem to know when things are about to happen, and you always seem to know which way to jump. What are you hiding in your head?"

Andrew fixed the older man with a steely glare. "What do you hide in yours?" He countered. "What secrets do you keep from your family- your friends- your son?"

"You are too young to understand, boy." Genma said. "When you are a father, you may have a partial understanding, but you will never be able to fully comprehend. Everything I have done was for the sake of the Art."

"Saotome Genma, I AM a father. I may look like I am nineteen, but I am a grown man almost thirty-one, and while I acknowledge you older than me, you are not my father and the difference in our age is less than you may think. Do not presume to tell me what I can know or am able to understand."

Genma looked more interested. "Tell me more, then. How old is your child- or children?"

"My son is fifteen." Andrew pulled out a small card case. "He was thirteen when this picture was taken." He pulled out a small card fold that had obviously seen much use. It held only two photos. The first was made to look like a collectible sports card. The boy in the picture wore a red football journey, had dark, frizzy hair, brown skin, and a grin. Across the bottom read "/Dustin Terrence, Wide Receiver./"

Genma spotted something under the American's carefully placed thumb, something that looked like a "6" in the upper left corner.

Andrew flip the page and showed the other picture. "And this is my wife." The words were spoken with tenderness as he looked at the photo with Genma.

The woman in the picture wore short hair, feathered out in curls. Her skin was dark- clearly of african descent- and her eyes were dark and mischievous. Her black dress was low cut in the front as she posed saucily in a three-quarter profile, only enhancing her already generous natural endowments. She wore a smile that said she was ready and able to take on the world.

She was, in a word, beautiful.

Andrew gazed at her with a longing smile, before he reverently folded the card holder closed again and put it back into his pocket.

"Do you love your wife, Saotome san?" Andrew asked quietly. "Because I believe she misses you and her son greatly."

Genma sat very still. "What?"

Andrew's eyes bored into him mercilessly. "Saotome Genma, as a father I may have been disappointed at times by some of the choices my son has made, but I have always wanted what was best for him. You have been blinded by your desires to make him something in which he had no say. And in doing so, you have taken ten years from both your wife and him that, while they may be soothed over some day, they will never be replaced."

"You may not be as wet behind the ears as I'd thought- but you can't know everything, and it is quite clear to me that you do not." Genma fired back, a touch of heat in his eyes and voice. "By constantly coddling your son you have limited what he is capable of."

"How so?" Demanded Andrew.

"Listen for a moment to the words of a man older than either of us. It was a prayer written by a member of the British SAS during the second Great War:  
"Give me, Kami sama, what you have yet in abundance; give me what none request.  
"I ask not money or success, not even good health.  
"Those are asked of you so much, Kami sama, there cannot be any left.  
"Give me instead, Kami sama, what you still have. Give me what people refuse to accept from you.  
"I want uncertainty and insecurity; I want turmoil and fighting.  
"And if you should give them to me, Kami sama, once and for all,  
"Let me be sure to have them always, for I will not always have the courage to ask you for them."

It was Andrew's turn to be stunned. How could a father bear...

"Andrew san." Genma's voice was low. "It seems I have misjudged you. Perhaps you can understand after all."

Andrew said nothing as Genma walked away.

--

Later that night, Genma crept back into the dojo past the other sleeping bodies. Andrew seemed to stir slightly as he approached, but Genma froze, and felt a moment of relief that Andrew's breathing had not changed. 'He's a light sleeper.' Genma noted with approval. 'His life must have been quite lively when he was younger."

Carefully, ever so carefully, Genma slid the football card photo back into the fold out card holder before returning it to the pocket of Andrew's jeans. Then, just as quietly, he crept back out.

Without changing the rhythm of his breathing, Andrew opened one eye slightly to watch Genma creep back out in the faint, shadowy moonlight. 'I never even saw him take it.' Andrew marvelled. 'He's incredible. I have to really watch it around him.'

End Chapter 6

--

Well, yet another chapter down, and this one was fairly large as well. Thanks for reading this far, and I hope we can all see this through to its very end- most especially, I hope I can see it through.

Next time, Ranma and the crew go Ice Skating, Nabiki marks her territory, and Ryoga wishes he owned a rubber wet suit! Join us in the next chapter, A Cold Day in Hell!

See you soon!

-AXENOME


	8. Chapter 7: A Cold Day in Hell

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 7: A Cold Day in Hell

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

'I've gotten pretty good at running away.' Andrew mused.

The reason for his current retreat stood on the street corner, searching around in all her purple haired glory, scanning the street for any sign of the American. She'd left her bonbori behind, so presumably, she wasn't looking to inflict anything permanent on him, but Andrew knew that discretion remained the better part of valor.

'This one is certain she saw that sneaky American run down this street,' Xian Pu thought to herself. 'He may believe he's going to get away without answering this one's questions, but he can't escape her forever. This one will catch him, or her name isn't Xian Pu!'

Andrew held his breath for a tense second before letting out a sigh of relief as the Amazon continued on down the street.

'Man, I'm too old for this kind of nonsense.' Andrew mentally grumbled.

This situation would have been resolved by now had it not been for him, and he knew it. But now things were at an impasse. Xian Pu was sworn still to kill Ranma's female half, engaged to marry Ryoga's human side, and determined to interrogate Andrew in any position she found him- at least, as long as nobody else was around. There HAD to be a way to get her to go home; he just didn't have a clue as to what that was.

Well, there was always one option: Talk to Nabiki.

--

"Why should I?" Akane demanded. "I don't want him anywhere NEAR me!"

"Now, Akane," Soun said, "Ranma is your fiancee. The two of you should do things together so you two can get used to one another."

"I don't WANT to get used to him! I want him to go AWAY!"

"I wish I COULD go away." Ranma threw at his fiancee, who simply snorted at him and turned her head away. "Besides," Ranma continued. "Who'd wanna strap metal blades to their feet to run around on a buncha ice?"

"Boy," Genma rumbled, "you'll show your fiancee that you're fun to be with if it kills you!"

"Dad, no! I'm going with Yuka and Sayuri! They aren't bringing any boys along and neither am I!" Akane said heatedly.

"Yeah- any boy they brought with em you'd just beat em unconscious before they got ta the rink, unless they ran away when they first saw you." Ranma sniped.

"SHUT UP, RANMA!" Akane yelled, grabbing a broom from the kitchen and swinging it at him. Ranma ducked and stuck out his tongue at her, which he promptly bit as her return swing slipped him under his chin.

Nabiki sighed. Whatever interest Akane had started to develop for the pigtailed martial artist had rapidly evaporated in the last few weeks. Now, all that remained was the bickering residue.

A bit of motion caught Nabiki's eye. She glanced off to the side to see Andrew standing past the doorway, at an angle where nobody else in the living room could see him. Turning her attention back to the family argument, she could see nothing had changed. Akane still insisted on leaving Ranma behind, Ranma insisting that skating was stupid and he had no interest in flat chested tomboys, and both fathers insisting that they were going to go together.

At this point, the only reason Nabiki didn't just persuade Daddy to let little sis off the engagement hook was that either she or Kasumi would be left holding the bag. Sure, Ranma was cute and all, and other than his tendency to open his mouth without first hooking his brain into it he seemed to be okay. But Nabiki didn't know what Genma had been like when he was younger, and if he was what one could look forward to in fifteen or twenty years, she'd rather join a nunnery.

Since nobody had paid attention to anything she'd said when she'd last bothered to throw in an opinion fifteen minutes ago, Nabiki decided that she may as well do something profitable with her afternoon instead. With that in mind, she picked herself up off the couch and walked out of the living room into the hallway.

Wearing her best money making smile, she addressed Andrew cheerfully. "So, Andrew kun, what investment opportunity brings you here this time?"

Andrew didn't smile, just continued to wear his look of concern. "We must do something about Shampoo."

Nabiki eyed Ranma's bald head with a smirk. "/Shampoo? We have plenty in the bathroom, Andrew kun- and you don't really need it anyway./" When he failed to laugh at the joke, she sighed and returned back to Japanese. 'Alright, I agree she's causing a lot of tension here right now, especially when Ryoga wanders off and she has time to spare from chasing him. But you're better equipped to deal with her than I am- you being from the future and all."

Andrew shook his head. "The reason she left last time was that she was supposed to marry Ranma and she found out about his curse afterwards. That can not happen now. She has no idea about his curse, true, but it would not matter if she did, except that Ranma could no longer hide in his male form. She needs something else to shock her into leaving."

"ALRIGHT, FINE! I'LL TAKE THE PERVERT WITH ME!" Shouted Akane from the living room.

Nabiki frowned a little. "That's my cue, I guess. We'll talk about this more later, I promise."

"What? Where are you going?" Andrew asked.

"Akane and a couple of her friends are going ice skating, and I was going to go with them." Nabiki said. Then she brightened up a little. "Hey, did you want to come along?"

Andrew thought about this for a moment. Something about this set off alarm bells in the back of his mind, but he couldn't think for the life of him why. "Well, I am not sure. I have not skated in a long time, and I do not own any skates besides."

"Aw, come on! It'll be nice to relax and enjoy yourself. And I'll even pay your skate rental. You have to buy your own entry, though- no freebies!" She said with a smirk.

Andrew felt a second set of alarms go off at the idea that she was offering to pay part of his way. That DEFINITELY wasn't like her.

However, he didn't have an excuse- or, to be honest, any wish- NOT to go, so he shrugged. "Sure, why not? Could be fun."

--

On the way to the rink, Ranma looked around at the group. Sayuri had brought along Daisuke, Yuka had brought along Hiroshi, and even Nabiki had brought along Andrew. "Hey, Akane, I thought you said nobody else was bringing any guys along?"

"SHUT UP, RANMA!"

--

An hour later, as he watched the petite, kawaii, klepto martial arts figure skater sailing by with a cursed Ryoga clutched in her arms, Andrew knew why the alarm bells had been going off.

He'd never been that great of a skater, even when he still practiced, but he managed to catch up to the little thief- at least, while she didn't know he was chasing her.

"Hey!" Andrew shouted. "Give-" he grimaced at the thought of using the name, but ground it out anyways, "Give me back P-chan!"

Ryoga, upon hearing Andrew's voice, turned his head and began squealing angrily, presumably to tell him that this was all Andrew's fault.

"No way!" She said to him. "This is Azusa's little Charlotte! You can't have him!" Immediately, she picked up her pace and left Andrew far behind.

'Well, what did you THINK was gonna happen?' Andrew thought to himself. He slowed to a halt. Think time.

He rapidly thought over everything he knew about the Golden Pair- specifically Shiratori Azusa. They were graceful, fairly unmatched on the ice, and martial arts experts. And about the only person who could retrieve something she'd claimed was her skating partner, Mikado.

'Right. Have to get Mikado to get it back.' Andrew thought. But he couldn't do it himself. He looked over at Ranma, sitting at a table looking bored, then at Akane, avoiding Ranma's side of the rink like it was infected with lice. Finally, his eye fell on Nabiki.

He had an idea that would probably work, but he didn't like it at all. Sighing, he skated over to her. "Nabiki, we have a problem."

"Problem? What problem?"

--

After he finished explaining Ryoga's plight and his own plan for rescuing said pig, Andrew waited wincing as Nabiki gave him a blank look. "I have to kiss him?"

Andrew winced harder. "The only thing that motivates Sanzenin Mikado is kissing girls. He was able to give Ranma a tough time in the past that I remember, so I can not just beat it out of him. And Ranma has not done any skating today at all- makes sense because he does not know how from what I remember. Akane can skate and fight, but we BOTH know how she feels about Ryoga. Short of professional help, he is the only thing that can keep his psycho skating partner under control. Honestly, I am hoping you have a better idea, because the thought of him taking advantage of you like that makes me sick, but I can not think of any other way to rescue Ryoga. If I had Ranma's curse, I would do it myself."

Andrew failed to notice the look that Nabiki threw his way, as he was watching the Kolkhoz skating champion as he spoke. This, for his peace of mind, was probably just as well. "Alright, Andrew sama, I'll do it."

Andrew heard the 'sama' and snapped his head back in her direction, but by this time she'd resumed control of her expression. "Uh... What?"

"On one condition." Nabiki held up a finger.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Just this." And she reached around behind his head and pulled his lips to hers, kissing him deeply for a few seconds.

Andrew kicked himself for not seeing that coming. 'She's only seventeen, she's only seventeen, she's only seventeen...' He chanted mentally, cursing his teenaged hormones. Forcing his voice to level, he said, "Mind cluing me in as to what that was all about?"

She smirked at him. "Because I refuse to give my first kiss to a womanizing jerk like him." And she skated off, leaving Andrew to sift through the wreckage of his derailed train of thought.

--

"You better appreciate this, Ryoga." Nabiki said between gargles. "I feel like I need a bath after THINKING about what kissing Mikado was like. You owe me big time."

Ryoga bweed his thanks at Nabiki, when suddenly there was some kind of commotion outside. Nabiki looked toward the entrance to see Ranma in his girl form run in holding a baby bottle, crying, then dash over to the sink and change back with the hot water tap.

Ranma, rage written large across his face, snarled, "He's gonna PAY!" Before running back out, leaving the bottle on the counter. Nabiki could only stare after him in confusion. "What was... that about?"

Ryoga gave a distinctly porcine shrug. From outside the bathroom there came a loud cracking noise, followed by the voice of Ranma.

"MIIIIKAAAAADDDOOOOOOOOOO!!"

--

Andrew just barely missed shoulder checking Mikado as he skidded out of the way. "No need to be jealous, simply because I claimed my one thousandth kiss from your girl friend. I'm sure she'll recover in time."

Andrew yelled, "You moron! Do you have ANY idea what you've DONE?!"

The cracking noise drew Andrew's attention to the far side of the rink.

Andrew skated backward from the taller boy, holding his head. 'This isn't happening. PLEASE tell me this isn't happening.'

Whatever powers that be evidently weren't listening- either that, or they were sitting back with a bucket of popcorn, laughing. Ranma stood at the far end of the rink, still in his chinese slippers. An enormous crack in the ice of the skating rink stretched from him all the way over to the feet of Sanzenin Mikado.

It was amazing how fast it had happened. One moment, Ranma had been asking Andrew why he didn't just have him take Ryoga back from the skating girl, to which Andrew had replied Ranma didn't hit girls, and he'd never get Ryoga back without it. The next moment, some idiot with a soda lost control and skidded into the barrier in front of them. The soda flew over the barrier, splashing open on the table, dousing Ranma and Andrew, and splashing a stroller at the next table. The child inside dropped his bottle, which rolled all the way over to the stairs, bounced down, and came to a halt inside the rink.

"I'll get it." Ranma had sighed in frustration, before going into the rink to pick it up, when suddenly it had been scooped up by that kleptomaniac chick again. Mikado, sensing his partner had found another victim, quickly took it from her and returned it to Ranma, and while Ranma's defenses were down, he'd scooped up the red head, and kissed her in "Repayment" for retrieving the bottle. Ranma had stood frozen for a second before running to the bathroom, bottle in hand, crying her eyes out.

'Have to hand it to him.' Andrew thought numbly. 'That guy can skate FAST.'

Mikado looked at the huge crack in the ice for a second, before following it with his eyes all the way to the source: a very angry looking boy in chinese clothes, whose fist was still in contact with the far end of the split.

"I don't know what you're grievance is with me," Mikado said suavely, "But damaging the rink is a serious offense. I'll be happy to teach you a lesson."

"I'll give YOU a lesson, you pervert!" Ranma shouted, making a flying leap at his opponent.

Mikado regarded him with a bland look before shifting his weight slightly to the side, casually slipping the attack to permit Ranma to acquaint himself more closely with the wall. "Only an idiot launches a suicide attack so early in the match."

Ranma flipped to his feet, wobbling unsteadily. "This ain't over yet!" He yelled, skidding and slipping in his charge at Mikado.

"Well, I hate to abuse an obvious amateur," said Mikado, for all the world looking as though he really meant it, "But I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Prepare to witness: The Dance of Death!"

Spectators began to 'oo' and 'ah' as Mikado began to pirhouette, spinning faster and faster until his hands and single raised leg were a colorful blur. Ranma made a single, doomed attempt to skid to a stop before he was sucked into that whirling frenzy.

Forty-five seconds later, Ranma was ejected from the spin to land in a dizzy, disorganized heap on the rink floor. As Mikado slowly wound down to a halt, Ranma made a single, abortive attempt to get up, but the room spun so crazily that his hands flew out from under him almost immediately. Since getting up was, at least for now, out of the question, Ranma was forced to settle for laying in a limp puddle and groaning instead.

Azusa, noticing that Ranma was still moving, shrugged. "I guess it's a draw then, right, Mickey?"

After a moment, as Andrew skated up and began dragging Ranma over to the tables to let the room stop moving, Azusa repeated, "Mickey?"

Nabiki came over to the table where Ranma and Andrew sat. "Well, that was entertaining. Never thought I'd see the day I was happy to see someone get the snot beaten out of him."

Andrew raised a disapproving eyebrow at Nabiki, before turning back to Ranma. His eyes kept drifting to the left and he couldn't sit up straight, but in spite of the various cuts and bruises, he seemed to be fine. "No, Nabiki san, he is not that bad. Just dizzy."

"I wasn't talking about Ranma." She replied with a savagely jabbed thumb in the direction of Mikado, who was stock still where he'd done his spin.

Andrew winced again, and said, "I am truly sorry, Nabiki san. I never would have asked it of you had I known what it would be like for you to do so."

Nabiki favored him with a mysterious smile. "Oh, it's not so bad as that. Besides, at least I got something out of it."

Andrew was left to puzzle that one out as she walked away. Suddenly, he looked around. "Hey, where'd she leave Ryoga?"

Meanwhile out in the rink, Azusa looked at Mikado with stunned disbelief. "Hey! He's unconscious!" Then, with a cute smile, she pulled out a permanent marker. "Let's doodle on him!"

--

Hours later, Mikado stood trembling with anger in the middle of the ice. "Ranma Saotome, this isn't over! I'll have my revenge on you yet, just wait and see!"

And, amidst all the graffiti covering his clothes and skin, one sentence was written in English on the dead center of his chin:

"Andrew was here."

End Chapter 7

--

Well, that appears to have been the longest chapter I've written so far, and I like the feel of it. Finally got a fight in there for all you violent people (Spoken while looking into a mirror). And while Andrew may not intend for a relationship, that doesn't mean he's not going to be pursued. Life will only get more complicated from here on out as he slowly becomes more and more a part of this wild ride called Nerima.

Coming up: Shampoo is leaving? How'd that happen? And why is Akane beating Andrew with rattan weapons? All that and more next time, in chapter eight: Dinner and a Second Floor Show!

See you then!

-AXENOME


	9. Chapter 8: Dinner and a 2nd Floor Show

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 8: Dinner and a Second Floor Show

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/ /"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese. Wait for it.

May 13, 1997

_/Shampoo is gone._

_/I am still not certain how I feel about this, now. At first, her behavior was somewhat alarming. And never mind her ability to smash through walls with weapons or bare hands. Yet aside from these things, I kind of liked her. She really was a pretty nice girl once you got to know her better. _

_/More than anything, I was really impressed with her honesty in her emotions. If she was happy, you knew it. Angry, she didn't bottle it up. Hurt, she would cry. She had an openness and a purity of action that would have made her an excellent wife to whomever she ended up marrying- You can tell that she would never let things fester or get out of hand, and she'd put all her best effort out to fix anything that wasn't right._

_/It was an odd series of events that led to her leaving. We didn't get the story from Ryoga until after she left, but I think in a way, Shampoo leaving was only a part of what happened recently. A large and important part, but by no means the only part. Apparently, though, it started back with that moron Mikado as he was finishing up his fight with Ranma.../_

Ryoga tried to follow Nabiki out of the bathroom, but lost sight of her when she rounded the corner. Weaving his way as best he could through the people walking around, he suddenly noticed he was outside.

'What the?' he thought to himself. 'Where is everyone?' He paused as a shadow fell across him, and he turned around and looked up to see Xian Pu standing over him.

"Oh! You look too too tender and juicy! Xian Pu know just how to cook you."

Ryoga gave the pig equivalent of a shriek of terror and ran for all he was worth.

--

Andrew smelled something good. His head popped up as Xian Pu carried a covered dish into the room. "Hello Shampoo. What is in the dish?"

Xian Pu smiled brightly. "Too too delicious Cantonese Sweet and Sour Piglet for Airen!" She announced, lifting the cover to display-

-Ryoga, surrounded by a beautiful garnish of red sauce, pineapple chunks, and many colorful diced bell peppers. Oh, holy crap.

Andrew dashed forward in a panic, grabbing the pig off the platter, yelling in English as he did so. "/Ryoga! Holy crap dude, please don't be dead, wake up!/"

--

Ryoga shook his head blearily; someone was yelling his name and babbling in English. He was in pain, aching all over, with dry mouth and throat and sinuses, disoriented and cramped in a compressed position. His first sight was blurry but definitely his least favorite person in the world.

His reaction, when looked at in this light, was perfectly reasonable.

--

Xian Pu stood shaking in disbelieving outrage at the indignity and havoc wreaked upon the beautiful meal she had cooked for her Airen. As the pig woke up and lodged its teeth into the soft fleshy portion of the base of the American's thumb, she noted in a distant corner of her mind (The only part not currently preoccupied with plotting a particularly brutal murder) that she would have to bake the pig longer next time, or perhaps boil it first.

"Stupid American Boy! You is go too far this time!" She yelled.

Andrew froze with Ryoga hanging by his teeth from Andrew's left hand. "Huh?"

Xian Pu took two steps forward and grabbed him by the chin, turning his head to place a small kiss on his cheek. Nabiki, having heard the commotion, stood riveted in the doorway as her eyestook in the scene.

Xian Pu stood glaring at him. "You is too much obstacle for Xian Pu be happy with Airen. Obstacle is for killing." She retrieved her bonbori and prepared to strike.

"Hold it!" Andrew yelled. "You!" He snapped at Xian Pu, too angry to be tactful. "Wait right here!" He stomped into the kitchen, made a short apology to Kasumi who was boiling water for tea and trying to ignore the noise, and brought the kettle into the living room. The water, while hot, was not yet so hot as to be dangerous.

"You want to kill me?" Andrew asked. "You listen to what I have to say first. Then if you want to kill me, we can go out in the garden and you can carry out that Kiss of Death you just gave me so we make no mess on the Tendos' floors."

Xian Pu watched in first shock, then in horror as Ranma poured the hot water onto the pig, who changed back into the naked form of her Airen. Though the change had healed some of the injury, his dry, reddened skin showed clearly the signs of heat injury and dehydration, and she realized with dawning horror that she'd nearly cooked her husband to be alive. The bonbori in her hand shook a moment before it dropped from nerveless fingers as she crumpled to her knees in tears. She reached out a hesitant hand towards Ryoga's injured form before pulling it back.

Kasumi came out of the kitchen to bring back her kettle when, upon seeing the stricken Ryoga, she sprang into action. Within seconds she had him wrapped up and was up and running to fill the Furo with cool water to place him in.

Andrew's anger faded as he saw the devastation etched across Xian Pu's face. As he stepped forward, she scrambled to her feet and ran from the house. Andrew ran to the door, but she was much faster and had already vanished into the night.

"Biye la?" Asked Nabiki, breaking out of her shock.

"It means something like 'Good bye forever,'" Andrew said vacantly. "She's gone."

Behind them Kasumi had brought her father downstairs and was ordering him like a drill instructor, informing him that Ryoga needed to be put in a cool bath and given small sips of water to help him rehydrate. She seemed to think about this for a moment, then changed it to drinking ice water while soaking in a lukewarm bath. "He needs rest and rehydration." She said. "He's a boy so you're going to have to do this, Father."

Andrew looked back over his shoulder as Kasumi weathered the crisis. Most of the time she just stayed in the background, but where she was needed she was as solid as a rock.

Nabiki walked from the doorway where she'd been for the crisis to stand next to Andrew. "She's really gone?"

"Yeah." Andrew replied. "For a while, at least." He stiffened as Nabiki drew closer, and then slid an arm around his while leaning against his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, before disengaging her from his arm as gently as he could. As Nabiki stood there, trying not to be hurt by this, Andrew walked outside and headed for the dojo. And even though she tried not to feel it, a small part of her bled for this rejection. For a moment she wanted to follow him, but instead headed upstairs to finish moving the last pieces of furniture.

--

Andrew pillowed his head on his arms as he thought about Nabiki. She was obviously not thinking clearly, probably letting her hormones get the better of her. Andrew felt flattered that she wanted his attention, that she seemed to want something more from him, but she was just a child. An enormously talented, wickedly intelligent child, but a child none the less. She had no clue what she really wanted in life, and she hadn't even finished high school yet. Andrew liked her, there was no question about that, but that was all the more reason to nip this one in the bud before she really got hurt.

Getting up, he pulled on his new pair of slacks he'd bought last week and walked softly out of the empty dojo, heading for the main house.

All the lights were off downstairs.

Andrew frowned. That meant all the doors would be locked- Now what?

Scanning the upper story, he noticed two lights still on- the guest room and Nabiki's room, if he remembered correctly. Carefully eyeing the trellis, Andrew scanned for the best hand and footholds.

--

"Finally done!" said Akane.

Nabiki nodded, wiping off her forehead. The two of them had spent large portions of the last several evenings moving their things, but they had saved the beds and dressers for tonight- with these done, they were finally finished.

And Akane could sleep easier now that she no longer had the room that faced out into the street. She knew it was probably silly, but she'd always felt nervous about that house across the street. Anyone on the second or third floor could look right into her room, and she just didn't feel comfortable with that.

Nabiki smiled at their handiwork. After she'd found out the truth about Ryoga, Akane had been downright paranoid about boys peeping in on her at night from across the street. Personally, Nabiki thought that Akane was a little too full of herself- although admittedly, the Hentai Horde for most of her Sophomore year could possibly have been a factor in that assessment of her feminine charms. Even so, it was obvious that Akane hadn't been sleeping very well lately, and it was exaggerating her mood swings. If this little effort helped Akane sleep better at night, it was well worth it.

Out loud, Nabiki said, "Well, the beds were the last part. Let's switch our room signs and get some sleep."

Akane smiled. "Thanks again, Nabiki."

"Any time, sis."

--

Andrew noticed the lights go out just as he'd started climbing, and cursed softly to himself. 'Do I continue on with it?' He asked himself.

After maybe a half a minute of indecision, he decided to go ahead with it. 'May as well get this over with.' Slowly, testing each hand hold so as not to dislodge anything or break the vines on the trellis, Andrew made his way up to the window. As he got to eye level, he gave the window three soft taps.

--

Akane woke with a start at the sound of someone tapping on her window. She'd fallen asleep almost before her lights were out, and she felt a second or two of disorientation.

She lay there paralyzed for a second, unable to remember where she was, until she recalled the room change. 'Oh, no! Now that my window doesn't face the street, Ranma or Ryoga can get to my window without being seen!'

She cast her eyes around desperately, looking for a weapon, until she saw the shinai sticking out of a box next to her bed. 'It's not much, but it'll have to do.'

The three quiet taps came again, and Akane grabbed the shinai before edging her way over to the window and opening it partway.

--

Andrew waited. Just as he was debating whether to tap again or let it wait til tomorrow, the window opened.

"Do not think I am coming in." He said softly. "I just felt I needed to say... that I have noticed the way you have been looking at me over the last week."

'Andrew san?' She thought with disbelief. 'Even him?'

"I thought that I should tell you that I am married. I love my wife and I miss her greatly. And when I look at you sometimes you look very much like her."

Akane listened to this last statement in horror as she realized the pervert outside her window was thinking of her in the same way as his wife. 'All this time he's just been waiting for a chance he wouldn't get caught!'

"And so I felt I should tell you that we can not have any romance between us," Andrew went on.

Akane's eyes widened further as she listened to the American's voice, unable to fully believe this. 'Married and he climbs up to girls' bedrooms in the middle of the night?!'

Andrew sighed, then said, "but do not take this to mean that you are not beautiful- you are, very much so. And we can still-"

Akane could listen no more. Not willing to find out what kind of perversions were going to come after "we can still," she sprang into action.

Before the words "work together and be friends" could leave his mouth, a rapid whistling sound preceded a rattan shinai impacting with his face. Several more blows came in rapid succession, accompanied by female grunts of effort. As he fell backwards off the trellis, two thoughts ran through his mind.

'What the heck- is that Akane? What's she doing in Nabiki's room?' and 'Oh damn, this is gonna hurt.'

The ground hit him in the back like- well, like falling from a second story window. The wind quite thoroughly knocked out of him, Andrew lay there, barely registering the string of profanity being directed out the window at him, the mildest of which were "hentai" and "sukebe yarou." Other lights came on upstairs and Andrew wondered how the hell this happened.

--

"Father, it's just not right." Said Kasumi as she put the last bowl of miso on the table. "He's a foreigner- what would the neighbors think?"

Soun sat imperiously eyeing Andrew critically, with a semi friendly but VERY firm expression on his face. "I don't mind you courting my middle daughter, Andrew san, but from now on when you court her I expect you to maintain some propriety. You are not in America anymore, and while I can't blame you for having been raised there, you've learned other aspects of how to be civilized very quickly. It is vitally important that if you intend to become a part of my family you must conduct yourself as a gentleman..."

"I don't care whether he's sneaking up to see me or Nabiki!" Akane said angrily. "He's STILL a pervert! He's as bad as Ranma!"

"Hey, whaddaya mean? I ain't never done nothing like that! You take it back!" Ranma protested.

Nabiki sighed and glanced wistfully at Andrew. Why, oh WHY, couldn't she have delayed the room change just ONE day? 'If I'd only known he'd work up the courage to try it last night...'

"And I have good faith in your character- you have great personal initiative." Soun droned on. "Why, you've only been here a month and already you've gone from being penniless and stranded to having a decent amount of money saved up, buying things for yourself to replace what you've lost, paying rent, why you'd be an excellent provider for my Nabiki..."

Andrew rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain in the back of his skull. Bad enough when they thought he had been trying to sneak into Akane's room, but when he started off by explaining he'd thought Nabiki was in that room, he hadn't gotten in a word since.

Ryoga sat opposite him at the table, boring holes in Andrew's chest with his eyes.

Finally, Andrew said, "Hai, Ryoga san? Nani desuka?"

Ryoga gave him a superior look and said, "Hypocrite."

For one fleeting moment, Andrew almost missed eating bacon.

End Chapter Eight

--

Oh man, Andrew just digs himself in deeper. The better he adjusts, the harder the universe adapts to make his life complicated. But he isn't giving up yet...

Coming up! Andrew knows first aid? Ranma gets a new father figure? And Nabiki gets a broken heart! Andrew has some serious talks and opens a few eyes, next time, in Chapter Nine: Bitter Sweet! See you soon!

-AXENOME


	10. Chapter 9: Bitter Sweet

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 9: Bitter Sweet

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/ /"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

"How many times did you hit him?"

Ranma snorted. "One hundred eighty-three." He said darkly. "And that was gettin off easy!"

"Did you really need to hit him that many times?" Andrew asked.

"Hey, I don't let NO guy grab me like that, even if he WAS drunk at the time."

Andrew phrased the next part carefully. "Perhaps he would not have gotten so... physical, if you had not been trying to get him to buy you ice cream by flirting with him. And you would not be in this bad of shape if he had not been a Drunken Fist master. I think perhaps that, if you must scam men for free food, perhaps you would be better served to pick your targets more carefully."

Ranma scowled. "Whatever."

Andrew shook his head and changed the subject. "Shampoo left, but it is not the last you will hear from her. She will be back in about a month, maybe sooner. There is a good chance she will return with a curse as well."

"Oh yeah? Ow!" Ranma said, as Andrew swabbed out one of the deeper cuts with rubbing alcohol. "Take it easy with that stuff, it stings!"

Andrew sighed. "Akane should be doing this, not I."

"Lucky for me." Ranma sniffed.

Andrew stopped what he was doing and looked Ranma in the eye. "Stop it."

Ranma blinked at him. "Stop what?"

"Stop trying to hide from yourself!" Andrew yelled. "Bad enough she has had such poor examples of men until now, but you only make it worse!"

"Huh?" Ranma said. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Stop trying to tell yourself that you do not care about her! She will never trust you if you pretend you do not care!" Andrew put his hands on Ranma's shoulders. "I have a son only a year younger than you." The words seemed to hit Ranma hard. "He is often a silly person, he does not take life seriously enough. But you treat everything too seriously! A relationship is not a fight, and you can not win it. A relationship is a shared journey that is walked together, and the best relationships are those that are spent lifting each other up, not beating each other down. Seeking battle in a relationship is only good for killing it."

"But wait, are you saying that to have a good relationship you can't argue? Cause I see married couples argue all the time."

"Arguments happen. But a disagreement turns into a battle when the disagreement is used to hurt the other. When they start bringing resentments in other things into disagreements. If one has issue with the driving habits of his spouse, he need not bring them up trying to win an argument about what to have for dinner. And THAT is the real problem between you and Akane. She and you have never let go of your resentments over how you first met, and it has poisoned everything that has come between you since."

Ranma scowled, and then shot, "Well, what makes you think I even WANT a relationship with her, anyways?"

Andrew sat back on his heels with a smile. "Because you are still here, at the dojo. Because you have not already left."

Ranma had no answer for this. He could have protested that his father was making him stay here, but even in the confines of his head the statement sounded hollow. Instead, he allowed himself, ever so briefly, to let the image of her rare smile to run through his head.

Andrew said nothing more for a small while. After a time, he got tired of waiting for any kind of resolution to show on Ranma's face. "Saotome san."

Ranma raised his head and directed a questioning look at the American.

"In Las Vegas," e began, "There is a very strong yaoi and yuri community. Let me finish." He said, raising a hand as Ranma's face gained a look of revulsion. "There are many types of people there, with many lifestyles. People who cross dress, people who get surgery to make themselves the other gender. People who maintain their birth gender identity and seek out relationships with others of their gender. But whether they are different as these people or as ordinary as you or I-"

"You call my curse ordinary?!" Ranma shouted.

"No. I called YOU ordinary. It is not a value judgement, merely stating that you are a member of the largest block of people, one of those who finds attraction to members of the opposite sex. Your curse does nothing to change who you are as a person, and I can say with reasonable confidence that in spite of your curse you are still a manly person on the inside, where it matters. And that is the whole point of what I am telling you right now. My time in Las Vegas taught me that the quality of a person's manliness, femininity, or mixture of the two is not dependant on the body in which they were born or remade into. That is a matter of the soul that drives that body, no matter what shape that body may be."

Andrew gave a chuckle at Ranma's amazed face as he finished up on the last of the cuts. Ranma discovered with surprise that he hadn't noticed Andrew start working again. "Uh, done already?" Ranma asked.

Andrew laughed. "Well, I have finished every injury that was not covered by clothes. If there's more under them, I will certainly not be attending to them! Unless you can enlist the aid of your lovely fiancee, I am afraid you will have to do those for yourself."

Ranma looked back at Andrew for a moment before cracking a small smile. "If ya had tried, I woulda pounded you for it!" He shot back with a snort.

They shared a companionable laugh. Then Andrew added, "I admit I am not the martial artist you are. But there are things I have seen that may be useful to you, and that while I cannot do them yet myself, I know the techniques by which to teach them to someone else. If you will learn from me, that is."

Ranma looked uncertain, but he didn't seem to want to turn him down flat. "Uh, I guess maybe later." He stood up with a small grunt, before looking at Andrew strangely. "You, uh..."

"Hai, Ranma san?" Andrew said, looking up from where he was packing up the first aid kit.

"I, uh, just wanted to say... you're a pretty cool dad and all." Ranma finished, giving a short bow. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Andrew smiled a little as Ranma left. "Doitashi mashite, Ranma kun." He said softly.

--

"Tendo san."

Nabiki almost didn't realize Andrew was talking to her- he hadn't called her that in weeks. "Hai, Andrew sama?" She replied.

Andrew sighed. He had to be direct. "Tendo san, I can not accept what you offer me."

Nabiki felt a chill develop on the back of her neck. "I haven't given you anything that I can think of." She said lightly, although his expression made he skin grow cold. 'Please don't say it. Please, Kami sama, don't let him say it.'

"Tendo san, do not make light of this. I know I have not told you this directly, but I am married. I had assumed that Ranma would have told you this already when you grilled him for information about me."

Nabiki arched an eyebrow at him. "Goodness, you were trying to sneak in my window last night, and here you are today acting so noble! I'm SO impressed." She lashed out, trying to buy herself time. This was happening too fast.

"This is the conversation I was trying to have with you last night, to give you the privacy you deserve when you hear this from me. And I think you already know this."

She blushed a little at the accuracy of his guess while he went on. "I know I am different than many others whom you know, and I know this novelty exerts its own kind of attraction. I know that you have come to respect me, even as I have come to respect you. We even have a great deal in common, you and I. But I love my wife, and while there is any chance that I may return to her, I will not betray her. And even if I..." Andrew wavered for a moment, "If I cannot return to her, for whatever reason, do not ruin yourself chasing after me. You should be first in the heart of whomever you marry, and I cannot give you that which you need or deserve."

Nabiki smiled at him lightly even as inside she was shattering. "Whatever you say, Andrew san. Ja mata." She waved jauntily at him, as she turned and walked down the hall to the stairs. 'I am the Ice Queen, this can't hurt me. I am the Ice Queen, I can't be touched.' Her pace increased as she started up the stairs even as her neutral expression began to crumble, and by the time she reached her room she was already streaming tears.

Andrew cursed himself for an idiot. 'Why did I say it like that?' Then, that damned voice that wouldn't leave him alone, the one that told him in no uncertain terms when he was doing something wrong, that voice reminded him, 'Better this than string her along like Ranma did with the fiancee brigade in the anime. At least this way, she can get on with her life.'

--

Upstairs, later, Nabiki wiped her face clean and dried her eyes as she booted up her computer. Ranma had indeed told her before that Andrew was married, and she had even gotten the name of this woman, Darlene Macy. She would find everything she could about her.

Maybe she could find something that would prove they couldn't be together. Maybe she would be married already, or somehow nowhere that Andrew could ever go. Because she would be DAMNED if she was going to give him up without knowing for sure. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a ray of hope.

And even if she couldn't find that ray of hope, then maybe she could at least give Andrew back what he so desperately wanted. At least... at least maybe she could give him this much.

She felt the tears running again as she began her search, but she ignored them with every bit of steel in her soul as she began her research.

--

Andrew sighed shakily. He had gotten through the entire conversation with Nabiki while keeping his emotions firmly under control. It hadn't been easy, but he'd maintained the same cool, neutral emotions through the entire conversation.

A fragment of memory whispered in the back of his mind:

_you must maintain a soul of ice_

Andrew felt a wisp of excitement that he brutally squelched. Preventing himself from responding in any emotional fashion, he carefully focused on his naval, feeling for his chi, and found it.

And it was cold.

Suddenly, Andrew had an idea for how he might convince Ranma to train under him. He believed he had the ability now to maintain that cold in his soul, even under pressure- now, all he needed to do was to see if he could lead someone into the spiral.

End Chapter Nine

--

Andrew has played counsellor, and done the right thing- he hopes. Will it make a difference? Who knows?

Borg, Dream, thanks for your readership- I'd have given up on this two days ago without your feedback. I'm still writing, still feeling the flow, and you guys are helping me stay the course.

Next time, The Golden Pair of Kolkhoz return! And they're up against... Andrew and Ranma? Andrew, where is your phone? The answers to this and much more are waiting next time in Chapter Ten: Ice, Ice, Baby!

See you then!

-AXENOME


	11. Chapter 10: Ice, Ice, Baby

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 10: Ice, Ice, Baby!

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/ /"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

Ranma and Andrew stood side by side, looking at their opponents. On the far side of the rink, Mikado and Azusa faced them. "Are you ready, Ranma?" Andrew asked.

Ranma shuddered. "Do we really gotta do it like this?"

Andrew's scowl darkened. "This was not my idea. They are the ones who challenged us."

Ranma cast a sidelong glance at Andrew's outfit with an expression hovering somewhere between disbelief and outright disgust. "Man, that's gotta be the most disturbing thing I have EVER seen."

Andrew had not been particularly pleased with the arrangement either. But since the challenge had been issued to the both of them, they'd been sort of stuck. And Ranma shot down the 'Skates of Fame' idea and steadfastly refused to fight this match as a girl, so-

"I hate tights. This wig is too hot." Andrew complained at Ranma. "And this leotard is cramping things that are better left alone!"

After a moment, Andrew peered around behind himself and said in a grudging tone, "I have to admit though, these tights DO make my butt look good."

Ranma's skates slid out from under him as he recoiled from Andrew. "Ugh, geez, man! YUCK!"

Andrew grinned evilly at Ranma, who suddenly realized Andrew had been trying to draw a reaction from him. They both laughed a little, and the pre-fight tension let up a little, although Ranma was still uneasy. 'How the heck did he manage to fill out that bra so realistically?' Ranma wondered with a faint tinge of discomfort.

--

Ironically, a certain member of the audience was privately making the exact same observation about Andrew's tights. And Nabiki was not joking.

'There is DEFINITELY something attractive about a guy THAT secure in his masculinity.' She thought to herself.

--

'They can't POSSIBLY intend to go through with this.' Mikado thought in disbelief. Yet the other two on the opposite side of the rink steadfastly refused to vanish like a mirage, and were quite clearly standing there stretching. Mikado ignored the announcer, performing his classic pose with Azusa out of reflex as the spotlight hit them.

--

"And the challengers, from Furinkan High, Saotome Ranma and Carlyle Andrea!"

The spotlight lit up the challengers in their side of the rink, and Ranma steeled himself and nodded to Andrew. Skating forward with only a trace of uncertainty, Ranma bent his leg slightly, allowing Andrew to brace his foot against it and assist Ranma in lifting Andrew up by his armpit. Andrew struck a disturbingly passable pose, made all the more surreal by the fact that Andrew actually stood about 2 inches taller.

The pose lasted for all of a second and a half before Ranma lost his balance, and the two collapsed in a pile that drifted to a stop about six feet in front of the Golden Pair.

Azusa burst out laughing. "This is so funny! The match hasn't even started yet, and little Jean Luc is practically Azusa's already."

Andrew shot her a glare that could have punched a hole through a cinder block. He still had no idea how that little she-rat managed to get a hold of his Kickback! From this range, he thought he saw an outline in the side of Azusa's pink leotard just above her tutu. 'Is that a compact?' He wondered.

Andrew stopped moving suddenly as the beginning of an idea formed in his head.

"Skaters, take your starting positions!" Called the announcer.

"Andrew, get off me." Ranma said.

--

The fight had started poorly, with Azusa lifted to spin through the air, planting both knees into Andrew's face. Ranma had been elbowed in passing my Mikado, and thus had gone off in a clumsy pursuit of the champion skater, leaving Azusa and Andrew to spar back and forth, the former skating dizzying circles around Andrew's poor attempts at countering.

Andrew smiled. Time to see if that idea was going to work. "Hey, did you forget to touch up your make up before the match?" He said suddenly, standing straighter and tilting his head slightly to the side.

Azusa blinked cutely at him and slowed to a halt, "Of course Azusa did!" She replied.

Andrew faked a wince, and said, "You missed a spot on your cheek."

Azusa gasped and pulled out the compact, checking her face in the mirror on the top. "It looks fine to-"

While her eyes were on the mirror, Andrew struck, snatching the compact and skating off, singing out loudly in a high falsetto, "Dominique! Dominique! YOU'RE SO CUTE!"

There was a moment of utter silence in the rink as Azusa stood frozen in shock. Then, the entire rink shook with a wall of sound as everyone present roared laughter. "N-no." Azusa whispered, as the impact of what had happened hit her. He was MOCKING her, and the audience was LAUGHING! Her eye twitched as he continued to ham it up.

"YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW AND GIVE AZUSA BACK HER DOMINIQUE- I MEAN HER LEEANN!" She screamed, correcting herself mid-shriek, causing the crowd to intensify their laughter. Recklessly she charged at Andrew, wondering why he'd reached inside his leotard before waving at the ice behind him. Murder shone in her eyes as she put on more speed-

-And abruptly she was no longer skating but tumbling through the air as her skates snagged on something. Gracelessly rolling to a tooth jarring stop against the side of the rink, she threw a puzzled look back over her shoulder trying to find what had tripped her.

But for all she could see, there was nothing there. What had her skates caught on?

--

Mikado and Ranma were still trading shots back and forth, neither one landing a solid hit. Ranma's clumsy footing left him unable to accurately hit Mikado, whose agility and grace on the ice were still insufficient to succeeding at putting a dent in Ranma's superior defenses.

A near miss by Ranma caused Mikado to skate backwards in a wide arc, giving himself room to regroup. Andrew sailed by, between the two of them. As Mikado accelerated across Andrew's path he suddenly flew awkwardly head over heels.

"What the heck?" Asked Ranma, who'd slipped and fallen yet again. On the far edge of the rink Azusa was saying something to the announcer, looking very angry, a bruise forming on her forehead where she'd impacted against the wall.

Andrew skidded up and pulled Ranma artlessly to his feet. "Come on!" He said. "We're winning!"

Mikado was getting up, warily scanning the rink floor with his eyes. Ranma turned to Andrew. "What did you do?"

Andrew grinned, opening the hand not occupied by Azusa's compact. There were a few small, clear crystals still stuck to the skin. Ranma gaped. "Is that-?"

"Rock salt." Andrew replied with a nasty grin. "How did you think I was filling out my B-cups?"

"Time out!" Called the announcer. "There seems to be some trouble with the rink!"

Andrew cursed. "Damn, they caught on to me. I will not be able to pull that trick again."

The match ground to a halt as a group of Ice Sweeper carts came out into the rink to smooth the surface, and in the process, cleared off all the rock salt.

Meanwhile, over in their corner, Andrew and Ranma sat resting. "So, what now?" Ranma asked. "Got any more dirty tricks?"

"Hey, you make it sound as though there is something immoral about planning ahead." Andrew protested.

Ranma was about to make a comment along the lines of Andrew getting along well with his Pop, when a bottle of water slipped out of the hands of a spectator, breaking open on the concrete floor and sending a stream of water over the edge to splash onto Ranma.

Ranma sat stiffly for a few unbelieving seconds, before turning her head up to glare at the guy above them.

"Sorry, miss!" The guy said.

Ranma fumed. "Man, I wish we had some hot coffee down here."

Andrew looked back at Ranma, surprised. "I did not know you drank coffee."

Ranma tossed Andrew a look that clearly said he was an idiot, and Andrew smacked his own forehead in agreement.

--

The announcer turned the mic back on. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen! It seems that one of the competitors has suffered a twisted ankle. Furinkan High is sending in a substitute couple!"

Ranma glared at Andrew, irritated at having to wear the stretched out tights and leotard. "I blame you for this."

Andrew sighed in exasperation. "It is not my fault! I am not the clumsy fool who dropped the water bottle!"

"I didn't SAY it was your fault- I said I was blamin you." Ranma said with a grin.

Andrew didn't have a response for this.

They began skating back out to the rink when the crowd began booing. "The conditions of this match clearly permit substitutes in the case of injury outside the match," began the announcer, but got no further.

"That's not the problem!" Shouted a woman from the audience. "Their costumes stink!"

"Yeah!" Shouted another woman. "Hers doesn't even fit!"

Ranma glared at Andrew again. " I TOLD you this wouldn't work."

Andrew only smiled a mysterious smile, scanning the crowd. "Have faith." He said.

"Fear not!" Said one teenaged girl in a dazzling yellow dress. "The Furinkan High Accessories and Apparel Club is here to save the day!"

Within seconds, several dressing screens were erected over the challenger's end of the rink, while Azusa stood by, icing her forehead as unobtrusively as she could. "What could they do to fix that?" She wondered.

After another minute, the club had left, taking their screens with them and leaving behind two full length mirrors. As the pair turned to assess themselves in the mirror, the audience began clapping vigorously.

Andrew assessed the new look in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of Navy Blue slacks with a white stripe down the outside of each leg, a form fitting white T-shirt, and a black sash wrapped several times around his waist before being tied off like a belt. His head was freshly shaved, and they had replaced his small stud earring with a gold hoop.

'Oh, my, God.' Andrew thought to himself. 'They turned me into Mr. Clean.' He crossed his arms over his chest and gave the mirror a smile before his eyes widened in panic and his hand flew up to his ear. "My earring!" He yelled.

Ranma was no less transformed- She was now wearing a sky blue Cheongsam, with a set of red bracers that almost perfectly matched her hair. She had also been made up; Ranma had never worn lipstick or foundation before and the results were quite striking.

The crowd seemed pleased with the new outfits, and so the Announcer proclaimed the match to be resumed, while Andrew looked around frantically. "My earring! What did they do with-"

"Get your head back in the fight!" Ranma snapped. "You ready?"

Andrew shut his eyes tight and forced down the panic that had threatened to consume him. 'Soul of Ice, Soul of Ice.' He told himself. "I was born ready!" He said out loud, opening his eyes. He noticed he still held the compact, and jammed it into his sash.

The two of them moved out to meet the Golden Pair again. Andrew took Ranma by the waist, lifting her up to shoulder height. "Trust me!" He hissed. Ranma perched on his shoulder, waiting for her cue, and Andrew grabbed a hold of both of her feet. "Jump!" He yelled, throwing her upwards as her legs uncoiled like a striking snake. Ranma launched high in an Arc as Andrew didn't even try to keep his feet, and Ranma's bladed skate whipped forward, targeting Azusa.

'Hmph! Amateurs!' Mikado thought as he bent his knees to drop Azusa under the attack. 'Now, Andrew san, I've-'

But Mikado never got to complete the thought as suddenly his world was that special brand of pain that only boys become acquainted with. Andrew, still on his left side like a base runner sliding in to home, brought a solid hammer fist up with his right hand as he slid between Mikado's bent and shoulder width knees.

Azusa found herself immediately unsupported as Mikado curled up in a squeaking ball on the ice. She managed to get her feet under her after only one roll and made a swift turn, seeing Andrew reverse himself and catch Ranma before skidding to a halt in a spray of ice crystals. He even managed to keep his feet with only a single sideways hop.

Azusa skated over to where Mikado lay quivering on the ground and sighed. She'd always TOLD him that he should wear a cup.

"Mickey?" She said, kneeling beside him. "Does it hurt-"

"DON'T YOU --ING DARE!" Mikado screamed, scrambling away from her on all fours.

Andrew hearing the byplay, snickered softly as he set Ranma on her feet. "What'd I miss?" She asked.

"Never mind." Andrew said chuckling.

Mikado regained his legs unsteadily, putting forth a valiant effort to work past the pain. "Is that gaijin LAUGHING at me?!" He said in a voice noticeably higher than usual. "That does it! Azusa, we finish this now!"

"Too bad you didn't decide that before Andrew san made sure that kissing was all you had left!" SAzusa responded with a sweet smile. "Let's break them up!"

--

Even though Andrew knew to look for it, he almost missed his chance. One second the four skaters were headed for one another, the next Andrew found himself caught by his ankles. He shot out both hands, grabbing Ranma's, and then they were being lifted.

Mikado's lift was a truly impressive feat of strength, straight arming three people- easily twice his body weight- over his head. He'd almost gotten everyone into position when Andrew let go of one of Ranma's hands and reached into the sash, grabbing Azusa's compact. With a single swift motion he flipped it open just as he was hanging eye level with Mikado, and blew powder into his face.

What had been a precisely organized maneuver fell apart as Mikado instinctively let go of Azusa's legs, hands flying to his eyes. Azusa fell, Andrew jack-knifing his legs forward, levering all the weight of the three of them into her drop from above Mikado's head. The noise she made when she hit the ice was satisfyingly similar to a squeeze toy being smashed by a tennis racket.

She staggered angrily to her feet, about to start beating Mikado for his clumsiness, when her eye lit on her compact. Andrew made firm eye contact with her before clicking it shut loudly. "Dominique!" He said with a cheery smile before skating in a backwards arc. Azusa gave a little shriek of outrage and chased shakily after him.

Mikado staggered blindly for a second, trying to clear his vision. Things had resolved to individual blurs when suddenly a small fist tangled itself in his collar.

"Hey, Mikado the Molester! Nighty Night!" Said a feminine voice, and Mikado's last sight for a while was the clear recognition of the new female skater as the woman from whom he'd stolen his one thousandth kiss.

'No more redheads.' He thought to himself woozily before her fist loomed in his vision and shut out the lights.

--

It would never have worked if Azusa had been at one hundred percent. But the several hard slams she'd received in the match had taken a severe toll on the "cute bomb" and she struggled to keep up with Andrew as he taunted and dodged her, leading her into a smaller and smaller spiral.

'I feel it!' Andrew marvelled, as he experienced the cold of his chi mixing with Azusa's hot anger. As he reached the middle, she finally grabbed her tiny compact, and Andrew punched upward as quick and as hard as he could. "Hiryu Shoten Ha!"

It wasn't a very powerful cyclone- Nothing near what Ranma or Cologne could do in the anime. But even if it didn't tear a hole through the roof, it was still more than enough for the battered Azusa, who impacted with the ceiling and found herself draped limply across one of the ceiling girders.

The crowd went crazy as the announcer pronounced victory; Andrew, fatigued and triumphant, skated slowly over to the judges' table and picked up his phone and the trophy.

Ranma teetered over to Andrew with a look of awe on her face. Andrew asked with a tired grin, "Still don't think I have anything to teach you?"

--

Andrew spoke with the last of the members of the Accessories and Apparel Club. Somehow, nobody seemed to have any idea what had happened to his earring. Some of them suspected it might be on an earring card somewhere in one of their case, but as they'd all been hurriedly packing things up to leave the rink they hadn't had time to sort anything. Andrew stayed behind in the rink for a while, checking the ice, but after two hours he was forced to admit to himself it wasn't here.

"Yo, man, what gives?" Ranma asked, back in his normal gender and sitting a few seats away from an impatient Nabiki. "You done yet or what?"

Andrew sagged a moment before calling back up, "Yeah, I guess I am."

--

Ranma looked at the American as they walked home, still uncertain about Andrew's behavior after the match. He looked depressed; Ranma couldn't imagine why. They'd won their match, Andrew had that weird thing back he was so worried about, and he even managed to pull off that cool attack, for the first time ever, according to Andrew. Today shoulda been a great day.

Nabiki walked along behind the two of them, watching Andrew speculatively. 'I'll bet that earring was a gift from his wife,' She thought sadly. 'She's the only thing he ever gets this worked up about.' Sighing unhappily, Nabiki determined to get the Accessories and Apparel club to find that thing at all costs. Anything to get his smile back on his face.

End Chapter Ten

--

And the Martial Arts Figure Skating arc comes to a close. And hey, I'll be the first to admit that I was a little rough on Azusa, but then again, I admit that I REALLY hate klepto's.

I am trying to keep the Japanese to a minimum; hopefully this will make reading my fic a little easier.

All that remains is:

Coming up! Andrew can cook? When does he find time for sleep? And why is Nabiki looking so tired? Get ready for an all nighter when you join us next time in Chapter Eleven: Sleepless in Nerima!

See you then!

-AXENOME


	12. Chapter 11: Sleepless in Nerima

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 11: Sleepless in Nerima

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

May 19, 1997

/It's been exactly a month since I arrived here in Nerima. It feels almost like a lifetime.

/The pace of events here is faster than anything I've ever lived. I'm unsure whether this is a side effect of being in such close proximity to Ranma, but I have noticed that as I have taken efforts to simplify his life, events have conspired to make mine more complex. Today (Actually, as of right now, officially yesterday) the Furinkan High Accessories and Apparel club somehow managed to lose my earring. Except for very rare occasions when I wore something else for a short party or something, I have always worn that earring from the moment I received it. Save for her picture in my pocket, it is all that I have left by which to remember Darlene.

/I don't wear a wedding ring. I really can't afford to, because I've already worn out two of them since we got married. That earring is the match to the one Darlene always wears in her right ear (Because she told me it was silly to wear both of them in a left ear, that just wouldn't be balanced) and since we both work a lot with our hands, it is a much more convenient way to symbolize our connection.

/It wasn't an elaborate earring, 14 Karat gold with a single, 1/8 carat diamond in it, nothing spectacular, although it was a real diamond... but honestly, I wouldn't have cared if it was just surgical steel with a garnet in it. It was ours. They were a matched set, just like we were.

/I can't believe the earring is gone. I mean, someone has to have an idea of what happened to it. But I need to stop dwelling on that. So I'll add one final note before I turn this thing off:

/The last shipment came, the one with the Guarana in it. I'll be busy cooking tonight, and I swear I'll figure out the proportions before the night is through. If I fail, well, I'll likely be sleeping most of the day. If I succeed, I won't need to sleep before tomorrow night. Either way, I win./

--

Nabiki had been at this most of the night. Digging up information on Andrew's future wife was proving to be problematic.

For starters, everything Nabiki could find on the web was in English. And, while she could speak English fairly well, reading it gave her headaches. Especially American English- the Americans played fast and loose with the rules in everything, even their language.

Nabiki gave an enormous yawn before resuming her examination of the next page. 'Let's see. President Alvin Macy addressing US Congress regarding the growing tensions between the Court of Atlantis and the Ottoman Empire... nope, he probably would have mentioned it if his wife was related to the US president...'

She waited for another page to load. 'Hmmm... scientist Hannah Macy-Lords proves link between sorcery and 'Bad Luck' gene... could be a relative, he did say she was a pharmacist...' She footnoted the URL and loaded another page. 'Kami sama, so many Americans with a family name of Macy...'

The next page that opened was a genealogy site. Nabiki gaped at it in owl eyed disbelief before she bopped herself on the head. 'Can't believe I didn't think of that earlier. Must not have been thinking clearly last night.'

Nabiki sagged backwards in her chair. She was beat. She gave a squinty eyed glance at the clock and saw with a stab of dismay that it was quarter to 5. A despairing whimper escaped her lips as she thought of what the day at classes was going to be like. She didn't dare try to get any sleep now- she wouldn't wake up until dinner time. And she shuddered to think of what Mitsurugi san's class was going to be like. He put her to sleep even on a good day. She had no clue how she was going to make it through today.

She paused suddenly as something that had been lurking in the background of her awareness jumped screaming into the forefront. What was that strange smell?

--

Andrew grinned the grin of the manically sleep deprived. He'd been brewing small batches all night, sipping and discarding, measuring, brewing, and judging. He'd so far dumped most of his results down the drain, the hoarded and subsequently ruined supplies that he'd had shipped from various places all over the world.

Now, at 5 am, he had taken his notes on this particular recipe, and made up as much as he could manage, approximately a pint and a half of a liquid that had almost the exact taste of a Rad Pill energy drink.

Just then, Nabiki walked into the kitchen, looking like death warmed over. "What's the funny smell?" She asked in between yawns.

Andrew looked Nabiki over, took in his experiment with a critical eye, then poured out half of it into a tall glass and handed it to her. And then, decided he may as well finish off the other half, since he'd already recorded the ingredients, and he wanted to be certain first hand that the drink performed as it was supposed to.

Andrew was too tired to spot his mistake. He'd been cooking all night, with each batch boiling down to a slightly more concentrated version than the one before. As his taste buds had grown used to it from constant exposure, he hadn't noticed the shift, and after twenty batches, the final successful batch had been roughly triple the strength of the original.

They each drank off their entire glass, approximately twelve ounces each, triple strength of a drink that was usually sold in six ounce cans.

While it was, admittedly, a subtle mistake, Andrew was to discover the effects of six times the normal amount of energy drink in one shot after a month cold turkey could seriously charge the body while badly deteriorating the judgement.

And the effects on someone who had never been exposed before were even worse.

--

Kasumi awoke with a start. Looking over at the 'Hi there Cat!' clock on her dresser, the display read 5:20. It wouldn't go off for another ten minutes. Slowly, the commotion of activity from downstairs penetrated her sleep fogged mind.

'Who would be up at this hour?' She wondered.

The sounds drifting upstairs were intensifying. Mystified, she put on her robe and opened the door to her room, to find Akane and their father each standing at their own respective doorways. They all favored one another with confused looks before noticing that Nabiki's room was open and empty.

There simultaneous thought was, 'Nabiki? At this hour?'

--

Akane led the way downstairs, shinai in hand, only to stop short on the bottom step. There were two blurs moving from place to place, along with a rapid garbling in two voices that seemed to constantly change what directions they were coming from.

"SeewhatImeanaboutthisstuff?" Said a baritone voice.

"It'samazing!I'veneverhadthismuchenergy!" Replied a lighter, more feminine voice. "WecangetallthishouseworktakencareofforKasumiandwon'tshebesurprised  
whenwehavebreakfastmadeupbeforesheevencomesdownstairsandwe'llmake  
afortuneoffthisstuffifyoucanfigureoutawaytomarketit!"

To Kasumi, the pair of tornadoes tearing through her living room were a real eye opener. If she'd known that Andrew and Nabiki could do housework this quickly, she would have asked them to take over the chores a while ago. It was like watching a commercial for a maid service in fast forward.

And the whole while their conversation continued.

"SoanywayIwasawakemostofthenightbecauseIwaslookinguponlinetoseeifIcouldfind  
anythingaboutyourwifeoratleastthewomanyou'regoingtomarryinlikefiveyearsbecause  
technicallysinceyouaren'tmarriedyetandsothatstillgivesmealittlebitofhopeinthatregard  
butIcouldn'tfindanythingexceptabunchofspeechesbytheUSPresidentMacyandallthe  
speecheshe'sbeenmakingaboutpeaceintheMiddleEastandbythewayIthinkIalreadyknow  
theanswerbutisyoursomedaywiferelatedtothePresident-"

The baritone voice interrupted, "WhatdoyoumeanPresidentMacyThepresidentissupposed  
tobeBillClinton-"

"WaitareyoutellingmethatthereisadifferentUSpresidentinyourhistory-"

The two voices paused for a brief breath before saying simultaneously:

"Thisisadifferentuniversethan(mine/yours)!"

--

Andrew's thoughts were a disorganized blur of incomplete logic. He was hyper and inordinately cheerful, and when he and Nabiki came to the same conclusion at the same time, he grabbed her hands and started bouncing. She enthusiastically joined in, but after a few seconds of this, the both of them abandoned picking up the living room and dashed into the kitchen to get started on breakfast, while the rest of the Tendo family stood at the entrance to the living room looking on in abject horror.

Akane murmured, "Nabiki bounced." She said in a numb tone of voice.

Kasumi, equally stunned, said, "That's silly. Nabiki doesn't bounce."

Akane replied, "Andrew san bounced with her."

Soun said with disbelieving tears in his eyes, "We are mistaken. Andrew kun could not possibly have been bouncing with my daughter.

Genma, who by this time had joined them, replied, "Well, he bounced fairly convincingly last night."

The other three, unable to process this erroneous bit of stray information, turned to look back at Genma in confusion.

"It was a very weighty sort of bounce," Genma continued. "I wonder what he'd packed into that bra to make it look so real? I've never been-"

Genma stopped as he noticed all of their wide eyed stares. Lamely, he said, "Well, I mean, not that I would ever dress up as a woman. I was just, uh... Wondering."

Andrew, while dashing by, said, "Actuallyitisprettyeasyallyouhavetodoisfillupaplasticbag  
withsomerocksaltthenusesomeducttapetoshapeitintoakindofateardropshapethenmore  
ducttapetoattachitallaroundtheedgesonyourchestbutmakesureyoushaveyourchestfirst  
orIpromiseyouyouwillbesorry!"

By the time Akane had sorted all of this out in her mind Andrew was already out the door and mowing the front lawn with a manual mower, which was a good thing, since it would likely have resulted in bodily harm to the American.

Genma on the other hand seemed genuinely impressed. "That... That's brilliant! A new technique for the Sao-"

The trio of looks that Genma received cut off the sentence before it had been properly completed, but its implications would give the witnesses nightmares for weeks to come.

--

This was one day where Nabiki did not give any orders to her lieutenants. This was not because she didn't run operations at class today but because none of her underlings were able to catch up to her. None of them could run that fast.

On the up side, it was Nabiki's most profitable day all year. She conducted two days worth of operations, collections, and extortions during the first fifteen minutes of lunch, went through every case in the possession of the Furinkan High Accessories and Apparel Club looking for Andrew's missing earring (Finally finding it on an earring card in someone's make up kit) in the second fifteen minutes of lunch, then ran four miles around the athletic track to celebrate this in the third fifteen minutes of lunch.

Then, because lunch break at Furinkan only consisted of thirty minutes, said thirty minute block being only divisible into two fifteen minute chunks, Nabiki discovered upon the return to class that the deficit had been taken out of her Home Economics course. Being that she was late to class, she spent the rest of the period holding a bucket of water outside the door, fidgeting and hopping from foot to foot while her hands vibrated enough to make the bucket ring. By the end of class, she didn't notice the weight of the bucket anymore, not because she'd gotten used to it but because her constant vibrating had splashed all of the water out of it. The only reason she wasn't herself soaked was because she had spent the entire period on "Spin cycle."

--

Kasumi was a nervous wreck.

Every time she had tried to do something today, Andrew had run up and immediately started doing it for her. So far he'd made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, mopped up the floors, swept up the grass outside, filled up the furo, cleaned all the windows inside and out, swept all the grass up that he'd tracked in the house, taken out all the garbage, mopped all the floors again, turned off the water in the furo and mopped the overflow up from the bathroom floor, mopped all the floors again, and then made lunch. Nabiki had stopped her path of activity long enough to eat breakfast from her plate, Ranma's, and Genma's, before kissing everyone except Ryoga and Genma goodbye and heading out early to school. Everyone else included Ranma and Andrew, although she made a much more thorough job on Andrew, a fact that nobody was moving fast enough to notice except Andrew, who hadn't been paying attention while juggling four frying pans and three knives while dicing up pickled vegetables and the like for the second half of breakfast, the part that Ranma and Genma would actually get to try.

Kasumi took it back; she'd NEVER ask either of them to do housework. She couldn't handle something like this again.

Andrew didn't slow down as the day progressed. He retiled the bathroom, regrouted the sinks, stripped, tarred, and reshingled the roof, and then proceeded to stain and varnish the dojo floor. The day went by quickly for him.

For those who were stuck in the house, the day went by veery slowly indeed.

--

"Hieverybody'mhomewhatdidImissdidanythinginterestinghappentodaywhileIwasgone?"

Genma sat on the porch twitching. "There's two of them now, Tendo."

"Don't... don't say such terrible things, Saotome." Soun replied, tears streaming down his face.

Andrew poked his head up from where he was trimming a bush into the shape of the Death Star. "HeyNabikiyou'rehome!Howwasclasstodaydidyoufeelanybetterthanyoudid  
thismorning?"

The two of them began firing rapid speech back at one another while Nabiki picked up her own set of trimming shears and began shaping another bush into a Tie fighter. Soun and Genma looked at one another, and without saying a word both got up and hid themselves inside.

--

Nabiki and Andrew cooked dinner that night, with Nabiki on prep work and Andrew doing the actual business of cooking. Nabiki periodically headed down to the store with some money from Andrew to pick up something he'd forgotten or run out of, with her returning in minutes with whatever Andrew had asked her to get. And while Andrew wasn't Kasumi, he'd still taken a couple of culinary courses in college. The dinner he fixed was quite good, if somewhat... rich.

It was about 8:30 at night when, while the two of them were in the process of reshelving plants and books after dusting the living room, Nabiki stopped, a strange expression on her face. "Wow, I suddenly... don't feel so... peppy." She said, taking a few staggering steps over to the couch and collapsing.

Andrew was familiar with the crash, so he didn't collapse. He had definitely lost the spring in his step, though. "Yeah, that is the thing about those energy drinks- it just drops off at the end." He said, shaking from his sudden exhaustion. He forced himself to finish shelving the books, before he started to sit down. As he tossed a glance in Nabiki's direction, Andrew saw that she'd already fallen asleep.

At the sudden quiet that came over the house, Akane peeked nervously around the corner of the hallway. "Is- is it over?" She asked hesitantly.

Ranma peered around from the top of the door jam where he'd been hanging from the ceiling of the hallway to avoid being trampled. "I think so." Neither of them noticed how close their faces were until they looked at each other with a sigh of relief.

For a short second they both froze, expressionless, Ranma hanging down in front of Akane Spiderman style, before Akane's face grew outraged and she balled up a fist, backing away a step. "Hey! Don't get any perverted ideas, you jerk!"

Ranma blurted, "Why would I-" He caught himself as he saw Andrew directing his own blank, expectant look at the pigtailed martial artist. "Want... to- um, kiss someone... who didn't... um, ask me... to." He finished lamely.

"Oh, you honestly think that I'd ever ask a jerk like you to kiss me!" Akane yelled at him.

"That's not what I meant! I just meant I'd never kiss anyone I liked without their permission first!" Ranma shot back, before freezing like a deer in headlights.

"Oh, so if you didn't like them, you wouldn't CARE about having their-" Akane also froze mid rant, as what he'd said replayed in her mind.

Andrew knew that this was the time to interrupt them, before either one had time to backtrack on the accidental progress they'd made tonight. "Ranma san, Akane san, I will need to get past you in a minute."

They both turned their pole axed expressions towards him as he labored to his feet, carefully picking up Nabiki and walking to the stairs. "She will sleep much more comfortably in her room than out here." Andrew said, trying hard to ignore how his overused muscles shook. Nodding to the two of them as he passed, Andrew carried Nabiki up the stairs, using his toe to push the door open to her room, before laying her down on her bed as gently as he could manage.

Then, Andrew was forced to sit down on the floor for a minute. 'That was tiring.' He thought. 'Just need to get a little bit of oomph back.'

Within that minute he'd leaned his head back against the bed, and another minute later he too was sound asleep. Nabiki woke briefly, reached out a hand, and laid it against Andrew's cheek before falling under again.

And that was how Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi found them fifteen minutes later.

"What is that pervert DOING?" Akane growled, but Kasumi laid her hand on Akane's shoulder.

"Let them be." Kasumi said softly. "They'll be all right."

"Yeah." Ranma agreed quietly. "He ain't gonna do nothin he ain't supposed ta. He ain't like that."

Akane hovered on the verge of violence, before she took in the peaceful smile on Nabiki's lips. "I... I suppose you're right." She said finally. The three of them softly closed the door partway so the hall light wouldn't be shining on the sleepers' faces, and left.

End Chapter Eleven

--

Wow. Who would have thought a 6 times dose of an energy drink could cause such a mess? Well, it's not so far fetched a thing as all that, I suppose...

I've left messages in the review board; I wasn't sure if anyone was reading them or not, so I'll just say now that I'm doing it from this point on. I plan to post Chapter 12 some time tomorrow night. After the mess that happened yesterday, though, I'm not making any promises.

Coming up! Nabiki is having THOSE kinds of dreams? Andrew's earring returned! And Nabiki pours out her heart to Ranma, next time, in Chapter Twelve: Adding up the Aftermath!

See you soon!

-AXENOME


	13. Chapter 12: Adding up the Aftermath

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 12: Adding up the Aftermath

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese. Wait for it.\

Andrew felt a pounding sensation in his head, and his neck was stiff.

He was in a sitting position of some sort. He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar room. Sunlight poured in from the window, and he winced at how late it was. 'Missed breakfast.' He thought groggily. 'Hope Kasumi doesn't mind if I cook myself something.'

Andrew shifted a little, and felt something brushing his face. His eyes flew wide as he realized it was a hand. The previous night came back to him in a rush, and he mentally cursed as he realized he'd fallen asleep.

Looking over at Nabiki, her eyes opened, and she smiled at him and  
closed her eyes again. And then-

Nabiki felt her hand touching something warm. She opened her eyes a little, and saw Andrew's face.

'Ah,' She thought sleepily with a smile. 'One of THOSE dreams.' She leaned over and kissed him, sliding a hand down his chest. But then the dream didn't go the way it was supposed to; Andrew jumped to his feet, tripping in the process and banging his head into her desk hard. The loud noise jolted her fully awake and Nabiki discovered that she ached all over and her muscles felt over used.

'Wait a second, I'm awake?' Nabiki thought. "Hey, what are you doing in my room?" She asked.

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like." Andrew said lamely, rubbing the back of his head and trying to buy himself time for his brain to come back online. "I uh, fell asleep."

Nabiki remember a vague sensation of being carried, resting her head against someone's chest. A blush creeped onto her face, and she swallowed hard. Then, she blinked at him and got a crafty look on her face. "Wow, Andrew sama... we haven't even gone out on a proper date, and here you've already spent the night with me. Aren't people supposed to at least be going out before they sleep together?"

Nabiki melted a little at the sight of Andrew still bewildered and defenseless from sleepiness. It was SO cute.

--

The recovery of Andrew 's earring put a smile on his face, and Nabiki took a small liberty in putting it back in for him. A worry line across his forehead smoothed away, and Nabiki looked at him serenely.'He looks so happy- and I made that happen!' She thought. 'I did that!'

The knowledge of what she'd recovered for him- a keepsake of a woman who had prior claim on him- made Nabiki's mood wilt, and she felt that same stab of pain she'd become all too familiar with over the last few weeks. It wasn't fair, that she should be so lucky to find a guy that could think and shared her interests, and so unlucky to have gotten  
there too late, before he'd actually met his wife yet.

He was so many things. He was both two years older than her and thirteen years older, a father and a youth, a brawler and a thinker, a pile of fascinating contradictions that subtly complimented each other rather than conflicted or competed. When Nabiki was with him, she felt smart and beautiful and safe and whole.

It just wasn't fair.

--

Andrew didn't understand it- one moment, Nabiki was smiling at him as she'd finished putting his earring back on him, and the next, she'd crumbled, leaning into his chest and sobbing."Nabiki? Hey, what's wrong? What did I do?" Andrew said helplessly, putting his hands on her shoulders gently. "What happened?"

Nabiki gave a little laugh in the midst of her crying. "It's not you. You're fine. Wonderful. You're perfect. And you haven't even met the woman you married yet and I still got there too late."

--

Nabiki walked over to Ranma in the school yard where he sat eating his bento. "Hey, Ranma kun. Got a minute?"

Ranma nodded hesitantly. "Uh, sure. What's up, Nabiki?"

Nabiki stayed standing as she looked over at him. "I needed someone to talk to."

Nabiki wasn't sure how to start it, so she began with the time Xian Pu had destroyed the outer wall chasing Andrew. She spoke rapidly, for 20 minutes straight.

"- and so I put the earring on him, and he looked so relieved, and I f-felt good about that, until I remembered it was l-like a wedding ring to him, a-and-" Nabiki paused, wiping at the tears angrily as more leaked out. "-And so when I put it back on him it was like I was helping make sure I could never have him- b-because I knew if he was with her h-he'd be happy." Nabiki sobbed.

She let the storm of her tears pass. Finally, she wiped at her eyes.

Ranma was uncertain how to deal with this. He knew that there was something going on between Andrew and Nabiki, but like the rest of the family he'd assumed it was Andrew pursuing her. He'd never have guessed that the one who wanted someone they couldn't have was Nabiki. As she got control of herself and splashed her face with some water from a water bottle, Ranma asked, "Uh, you ok now?"

"Yeah, I think so." She said, pulling out a tissue and wiping off her face. She then pulled out a small compact and smoothed out her make-up.

"I'm glad. Cause you really got it bad. I didn't really know what to tell you." Ranma replied.

"You didn't need to say anything. Thank you for just listening. And Ranma kun?" Nabiki added with a slight edge to her voice.

"Uh, yeah?" He said, feeling awkward.

"My gratitude not withstanding, baby sister's fiancee not withstanding, if you ever- I mean, EVER- tell anyone you saw me crying like this over a guy, I will personally castrate you with a lawnmower."

--

Andrew had the recipe down pat. He had figured out what had gone so wrong three days ago, and diluted the syrupy energy mix with soda water. A single sip and he felt like cheering. "It's perfect!" He said. "Just like Rad Pill."

Nabiki nodded. "So we already know it works. Now, we have to come up with our own name for it."

"Yeah. In Japanese 'Rad Pill' just doesn't sound so impressive." Andrew agreed.

"We need a logo." Nabiki said. "Let's start there."

"Alright. Something powerful." Andrew replied. "Like an animal. How about a tiger?"

"Mmmm... nah, too much like a candy bar."

"Lions are out. Sure, they are big, but that mane just looks rather silly."

"I like lions." Nabiki said. "You're a Leo, aren't you?"

"Hey, focus here." Andrew said. "Now that I think about it, we need something more manly than a breed of cat. Cats are just too graceful, keeps most guys in mind of something female. Look at all the cat girl anime out there."

"Why do we need something more manly?" Nabiki asked. "What does that matter?"

"You should take marketing in your first semester in college- gender specific marketing is something they cover almost immediately. Because women are smart enough to not to get caught up on the gender thing, but a guy will not use any product out of a package that doesn't evoke manliness." Andrew shook his head. "Well, most guys- some of us have more sense than that, but even we do not manage to figure out the packaging does not mean we are wearing a dress. Do not say it." He added as Nabiki opened her mouth with a smirk.

"Say what?" She asked innocently.

"Do not pretend innocence with me. I know you. Do not say it."

"Okay. So we need to have something dangerous and manly. What's the most dangerous animal on earth?" Asked Nabiki.

"Human." Andrew said.

"Besides that." Nabiki said in annoyance.

Andrew thought this over. "Actually, according to the old time professional hunters, that would be a Cape Buffalo."

Nabiki looked surprised at this. "Really? Not like, say, a shark or something?"

"Yeah- weird, huh? But the Cape Buffalo will actually track what it suspects to be a danger and try to ambush it and trample it from surprise- and these guys are huge. And if it sees a predator it does not think it can handle alone, it will go and bring its herd back with it." Andrew shook his head. "Plus, they are actually pretty smart, for non primates. They have enough brain to figure out where a good ambush point would be and try to lead their target to it."

"Hmmm. Most people wouldn't recognize it as a buffalo- probably just think it was a bull." Nabiki said thoughtfully.

"Yeah- but we want the logo to be simple anyhow. Like a silhouette." Andrew said. "It'll save on printing costs and still look good."

"Make it red." Nabiki said. "I read an article a week or so ago saying that red is the color that attracts the most attention- something about the necessities of survival."

"Hmm. How about a dark red silhouette of a bull's head?" Andrew proposed.

"Hey, that'd be impressive." Nabiki commented. "Nice and simple and immediately recognizable."

Andrew snapped his fingers. "Make it on a steel grey background with a big diagonal blue stripe for contrast."

"Yeah- we could call it something like Maroon Bovine." Nabiki said. "To match the silhouette."

Andrew said, "Why not call it

WARNING TO READERS: TWO WORDS OF  
THIS FANFICTION HAVE BEEN CENSORED  
DUE TO INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

instead?"

Nabiki blinked at him in disbelief. "Eww. Yuck."

"What's wrong with it?" Andrew asked. "It's simple, it fits."

"Andrew sama, nobody in their right mind is going to drink something out of a long, skinny can, named after a male cow." Nabiki said. "It just- no. Just no."

Andrew thought this over for a moment- she was probably right. There were just too many ways someone could turn that into a crude joke. "Good point."

End Chapter 12

--

Well, I know this wasn't a long one, but hey, I like it better this way than the attempt I made to stretch it out. And it was a challenge making that last bit skirt the edges of decency and copyright law without actually stepping across the line.

Thanks for the reviews- we're closing in on the end of Book One, although I have a lot more story to tell on this one, including a side story that centers on- of all people- Cologne. Go figure...

So! All that remains is,

Coming Up! Andrew has a new judge on the strength of both his head and shoulders! N-chan, what kind of name is that? And who says Andrew wants to go, anyhow? All this and more, next time, in Chapter Thirteen: A New Brand of Shampoo!

See you then!

-AXENOME


	14. Chapter 13: A New Brand of Shampoo

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 13: A Different Brand of Shampoo

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

May 31, 1997

/Depending on how you measure it, my next birthday is either two months away or two days away. Either way, I am not looking forward to it very much.

/Nabiki and I are getting ready to market our new energy drink. We've decided to name it Charge, and are going to deliberately use the English word instead of the Japanese equivalent. We're sticking with the logo as we first envisioned it. It is going to make the both of us fairly well off, if I make my guess- we've already got initial production ready to run. Between the two of us we've invested a good one and a half million yen- enough to get the first run out onto supermarket shelves over a good portion of Tokyo. If we make projection we'll be able to get it spread out to the rest of the city by August and most of the major cities in Japan by December.

/I get the feeling that I will be here a long time, as we have confirmed that this is very much a different world than my own, and that there doesn't seem to be any version of my wife here under the name I know her by. I suspect that my only way home is with the Nanban mirror, but that will not be anywhere I can get to it until Happosai shows up, a person I hope sincerely to avoid if at all possible.

/I have also been spending time with Ranma. He has been helping me refine my katas and improve my speed, strength, and stamina, while I have been coaching Ranma on juggling. He is up to seventeen objects at a time, now, and I constantly change the size, weight, and shape of the objects each time, tossing them to him one by one at fifteen second intervals until he drops one. Then we start over at three. I think his hands are fast enough now; I intend to show him the Final part, the chestnuts in the fire, tomorrow. With as far as he's progressed under the juggling regimen I think he'll master it easily.

/The biggest complicating factor in our lives is the package that arrived in the mail several days ago. I have been pretending ignorance, but the moment I saw the cat I knew it was Shampoo. I had suspected that she would be back, but it was something of a surprise to me that she has been avoiding Ryoga since she got here. I suppose she may feel guilt over the reason for her departure, but it was an honest mistake, if an unlucky one. She seems to take a great deal of pleasure in terrifying Ranma. I spent some time petting her and talking to her in the way that people do with animals, explaining in a silly voice that Ranma had a terrible fear of cats that made him a little crazy, possibly dangerous to others if it got out of hand, because of his martial arts skills and the training he'd received. I also faked some surprise later on that she started to leave him alone- I hope that it covered for my explanation- but other than that she mostly hangs around me. I don't mind, honestly, because I love cats, and have missed having them around. And I'll admit I rather like Shampoo as well. Still, if she's not here for Ryoga, I wonder at her motives./

--

Xian Pu purred softly, enjoying the fingers scratching gently on her chin. Andrew seemed cheered by her presence; she never would have guessed him for a cat person. She was glad about this; such a strange boy he was at times but she found him rather pleasant to be around.

She wouldn't let down her guard around him, of course. Her great grandmother had already warned her about that.

The thought of her great grandmother damped her purring, and Andrew noticed immediately. Xian Pu angled her head to allow him to scratch behind her ear- one trouble about being a cat was that scratching your ears involved hind legs and contortions. Not that this was particularly difficult as a cat, but she was comfortable right now and really didn't feel like moving. Plus it gave her an excuse to cover for her mood alteration. After enjoying his attentions she laid her head down on her paws and pretended to go to sleep.

It gave her time to think.

Great grandmother Ko Lohn, Elder on the Amazon council. She was a crafty one, and had wasted no time getting to Japan after Xian Pu's short trial. She had interrogated Xian Pu's airen and then erased memory of the event with the Xi Feng Gao Shiatsu attack, and thus learned much about this mysterious American without tipping her hand to her presence. Apparently it was his interference which had caused Xian Pu to fail in her mission to kill the outsider girl, who was really a boy. What's more, Andrew had been the one to arrange for Ryoga to defeat her; according to Cologne that threw even more uncertainty into the issue of marriage than there had been before. Technically, there were now three candidates for her hand in marriage: Ranma, for defeating her on the challenge log, Ryoga for defeating her in the Tendo home, and surprisingly enough Andrew, for defeating her in her mission.

That knowledge had come as a shock to her. Contrary to commonly held belief, the Kiss of Death did not always or even often end in the death of the recipient- the actual definition that was shared with no outsider was that the recipient was to be brought back to the village, dead or alive, to await judgement for her actions. It served as a deterrent to those who would seek to casually humiliate those of the Nyanicheizu. It also served to give younger members of the tribe a reason to go out in the world. Outsiders frequently saw the Chinese Amazons as a fearsome people, and this assessment was not without merit. Even so, their traditions were actually rooted in the preservation of their society- never very populous, their supposed hostility served to prevent outsiders from settling in numbers large enough to overwhelm their culture while their marriage laws prevented the stagnation of their bloodlines.

This combination of laws had served to keep the Chinese Amazon culture dynamic enough to survive three thousand years in the currents of time without being swept away. Xian Pu had been awestruck as Ko Lohn had explained it. But to maintain these traditions required that the tribe believe in the laws; such interpretation as intent was solely the province of the Council and those who were being groomed to someday take their place upon it. And thusly, while the council had the power to grant leniency to other tribe members, punishments against council members and their protegees were bound to the very letter of the law regardless of circumstance. Which was why Xian Pu, in spite of the various oddities which arose in her mission, was still consigned to the punishment of Jusenkyo.

The laws she'd run afoul of- failure to complete her mission of retrieving the girl who'd defeated her, returning to the village without her Airen, and bringing life thretening harm to her husband, each carried a severe penalty. While the issue of who her airen was happened to be under debate, she would not yet be sentenced for having cooked him accidentally. Likewise, since it was uncertain if the outsider girl(who was actually a boy) was her airen, she would not be sentenced yet for this either.

But it was certain that she'd been beaten by an outsider male, and as a result she'd been sentenced only for failing to bring home the outsider male who'd beaten her- regardless of which one would ultimately be determined to be her lawful airen. Xian Pu realized that she would face the least repercussions if Ranma were determined to be her airen. And, admittedly, the pig-tailed martial artist was both skilled and handsome. He would be a fine prize to bring back to the village.

But as she had demanded last night, after sneaking out to meet her great grandmother, how Andrew could possibly have been said to defeat her, Ko Lohn had explained.

_"/-Warriors are the back bone of any army. An army has to have force in order to defeat an enemy. But it must also have direction- leaders who are capable of directing that force are worth a hundred times their number or more in warriors. Their decisions can save the lives of those under their command to fight again another day. Their decisions and guidance can destroy an enemy force with surprise and a handful of soldiers that would require ten times that many to assault head on. In directing Ryoga to the exact place and time to divert your attentions away from an obstacle to your mission, he used your prospective airen with precision and all but flawless timing. In effect, the weapon he used to defeat you was Ryoga._

_"/-And after what I witnessed of his battle when he and your other potential Airen, it is clear he not only is a very savvy tactician but also knows Amazon battle secrets._

_"/-And all other regards aside, I am interested in finding how he learned the Hiryu Shoten Ha. From all of my inquiries around the area, he simply appeared as if from nowhere less than two months ago. As far as anyone in the village knows, he has never been there, much less trained with an Elder! I am also interested to see what else he knows. Even if he is not determined to be your airen, I intend to bring him back to the village, willingly or no.-/"_

Xian Pu was initially uncomfortable with the thought of being married to an American- They were a strange and barbarous people, wheat eaters and lovers of beef. Yet, Andrew didn't SMELL like he ate a lot of beef- mostly, the only meats he seemed to eat with any regularity were chicken and fish. And kimchee, when he didn't think he was going to be around anyone, but she supposed that was the influence of his relatively high amount of training in Tae Kwon Do compared to his other martial arts. And he was a very smart person- his Japanese was nearly textbook after his short residence in Japan, and she heard him sometimes practicing Mandarin chinese out of a set of books he kept in his bag. His accent was pretty awful, and he had no sense for proper intonation for the finer gradations of meaning, but she was sure that would all smooth out once he was more heavily exposed to a people who didn't cluck at one another like chickens. And while not traditionally handsome, he at least kept himself in good physical shape. By her guess he weighed in easily at 115 kilos or more, and while not especially tall, his body was well shaped and looked extremely dense, meaning that at times when he passed through something only a little narrower than a doorway he would unconsciously turn sideways.

She sighed, a strange action for a cat, before stretching out on Andrew's lap and purring again. The more she thought about the situation, the better a prize Andrew seemed to be.

--

Later on, Nabiki walked into the dojo, looking for Andrew. Instead, she saw N-chan(what kind of a stupid name for a cat was that? 'N- for neko?' Andrew had insisted though, and Nabiki had a nagging thought that he was saying something but she wasn't sure what) lying on top of one of Andrew's shirts.

"Hello, N-chan." Nabiki said. She knelt down and scratched behind the cat's ear. "I'm looking for Andrew sama... Have you seen him?"The cat meowed at her, a high, chirruping sound. "Ah well, I had hoped. I mean, you always seem to follow him around. But you were probably too busy sleeping to watch where he went, weren't you?" Nabiki laughed. "You must like his smell, huh? Wanna know a secret?"

The purple haired feline chirruped again questioningly. Nabiki giggled, enjoying her mock conversation with the cat. "I do too."

This seemed to give the cat a surprise- she immediately sat right up and stopped purring. Nabiki paused, trying to understand what could have made the cat's behavior change so suddenly. Looking around, she saw Ryoga's cursed form wander in the door of the dojo, looking around confusedly.

"Silly cat." Nabiki said. "That's just Ryoga. Are you scared of... little old... P... Chan..."

Nabiki froze and went pale as she suddenly figured what Andrew had been trying to tell her.

'Oh Kami P-chan N-chan Purple cat Jusenkyo Shampoo! SHIT!'

Nabiki made a grab for Xian Pu but her cat form was to fast. The purple cat tore out of the dojo and was gone.

'Andrew knew and was trying to warn me! And the way she was following Andrew around, there was no way he could warn Ryoga and Ranma!'

She took off running towards the house. Bursting through the front door, Nabiki began, "Shampoo's back! She's been cursed-"

"How kind of you to show such concern, Tendo Nabiki." Replied the old woman in the green robes perched on the coffee table. Leaning back against the couch with a resigned look on his fact was Andrew.

"Nabiki." He sighed. "I'd like to introduce you to Shampoo's great grandmother, and Elder of the Nyanicheizu Joketsuzoku, Cologne."

End Chapter Thirteen

--

The Metamucil has hit the fan! Now what will Andrew do? He's being stalked by an Amazon Elder, he's pretty much screwed, unless he can find a way to out think this one...

Anyhow, many thanks to all of you who have reviewed and E-mailed. I never expected the response from this fic that I've received, and I'm glad that readership is so high. I intend to do at least two more books besides this one, plus a Side story, but you'll understand the thrust of that more when you read the last chapter. All that remains is:

Coming up! Andrew's perfect life? What do you mean, 'He can never go home?' And what does his map have to do with anything? All this and more, in the final chapter of Echo, Book 1: Ruby Slippers Two Sizes Too Small!

See you then!

-AXENOME


	15. Chapter 14: Ruby Slippers 2Sizes 2Small

Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Echo

Chapter 14: Ruby Slippers Two Sizes Too Small

' ' denotes thoughts. Will by default be in the native language of the speaker.  
" "- Spoken Japanese. Sometimes actual Japanese will be used.  
"/ /"- Spoken in English. Rarely happens.  
"/- -/"- Spoken Mandarin Chinese.

"In a way, I am quite glad to see you." Andrew said to Ko Lohn. "I wasn't certain if you would show up for this."

"Indeed?" The elder replied, fixing Andrew with a scrutiny much like that of a cattle buyer examining potential stock. "And why is that, pray tell?"

"Because I do not belong here." Andrew answered.

"Yet in spite of this you seem to be doing a remarkable job of being here- you carry yourself well." Ko Lohn said drily. "You certainly look like you are only a little older than Xian Pu. And yet, your apparent physical age aside, I imagine this-"

Andrew interjected, "I am older than I look."

Ko Lohn snorted. "Sonny boy, I can assure you that I am fully aware you are older than your apparent physical age. By my guess, I'd say you are in your early thirties. And you had a very active and traumatic childhood. And don't interrupt me."

Andrew cocked his head to the side. "How can you tell that?"

Ko Lohn's eyes pierced him to the core. "Your training, wherever you received it, was terribly lax. Under ordinary circumstances no student who had mastered the Soul of Ice would even ask that question. And this only outlines the need for more training for you than what you have already received."

As Andrew's pale skin went white, Nabiki held up a hand. "Ok, Granny. Time out. Can you please explain who you are?"

"As he already mentioned before, I am the Elder Ko Lohn." She replied. "And to explain everything that this title entailed would take far too long for us here today. Usually, an elder will remain in the village- being that most of us are rather old, we are more comfortable there- unless a situation arises that requires our special attention or personal touch, such as the mess things have become with her mission to deal with the outsider girl who humiliated her at the yearly tournament several months ago. This indeed does seem to require my personal judgement, a thing which since I have arrived I am closer to being ready to deliver. And I would much rather wait until my great granddaughter Xian Pu were here before I begin my official judgement on things. Thank you, dear." Ko lohn added to Kasumi, who poured her a cup of tea and set in front of her.

"Kasumi, would you like some help in the kitchen with the rest of lunch?" Andrew asked.

A look of alarm passed across her face. "N-no! I mean, no thank you, Andrew kun. I am nearly finished. Please, relax." Kasumi returned to the kitchen in a slightly faster pace than she'd arrived.

"She's never forgiven me for that accident when I was cooking up the Charge." Andrew said with a sigh.

Ko Lohn sipped at here tea. "At this point, son in law, I think-"

"WHAT?!" Andrew shouted, drawing Kasumi's head out from the kitchen to wonder at the sudden outburst.

"Son in law." Ko Lohn said calmly. "As in, the one who will be married to my great grand daughter Xian Pu."

Andrew blinked in horror as he realized that he'd acquired an Amazon bride. After a moment, he tilted his head to the side and asked, "How do your laws deal with men who are already married?"

"A married man, whether in the village or outside it, is exempt from laws of Marriage. We too are women, and would suffer no such cruelty on a woman who had given us no offense in spite of the actions of her husband. Depending on the circumstances of the defeat in these cases, then the man might be subject to a punishment as decided by the council in the village or any elder personally present outside it."

"Then your laws of marriage, at least as you have defined them, do not apply to me, for I am already married." Andrew said with a distinct note of relief.

"To whom?" Cologne said after a moment's pause. The words held the distinct ring of absolute truth.

"I am not from this time- nor, Nabiki and I suspect, even this world." Andrew began.

Ko Lohn arrowed her eyes and rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. "Some might argue that since you are no longer in the time or universe from which you were married, you are married no longer."

"I will fight you to my last breath if you would keep me from my wife." Andrew said, and there was an edge in his voice sharper than polished diamond. "And I will die before I willingly betray her."

"Relax, Andrew san. I said that there were some who would argue this, not that I was one." Ko Lohn mollified.

Andrew closed his eyes and took a breath. "You also," Andrew noted more calmly after a moment, "Never said that you WEREN'T one. It was, as much of this conversation so far, a probing feint to see how far you could push."

'Right on!' Nabiki thought. 'Don't let that old bag push you around!'

"So it was." Ko Lohn said with an air of mixed approval and irritation. "And you obviously know much about myself and the Nyanicheizu in general. I imagine that a large point to the conversation you've held thus far is to see if I know a way to get you back home."

"I miss my home and my wife and son." Andrew said, closing his eyes again.

Ko Lohn smiled mysteriously. "Your wife and son I believe, but your home rings false as you say it. Married, you say?"

"I have known my wife for ten years, and been married for six." Andrew repeated for the seemingly thousandth time- this explanation was getting tired. "My son is actually not mine, but my son through marriage."

Ko Lohn seemed to think this over for a minute, before nodding. "Ah, yes." Ko Lohn mentioned. "Another question I had meant to ask. You said before that you were stranded. What do you remember of how you got here?"

Andrew went over the details of his first week in Japan. Occasionally Ko Lohn would interrupt with a question. When Andrew mentioned the stall on the side of the street, Ko Lohn seemed especially interested in the stall. Andrew at this point discovered he remembered very little about the stall itself, save that it held a great many knick knacks and oddities, none of which he could clearly remember. Andrew's memory had been much better since he'd been here in Nerima but still the details of that stall or even the vendor's face just wouldn't come.

As he described following the map to Nerima, Ko Lohn asked if he still had it. Andrew nodded, and headed out back to the dojo. Nabiki found herself alone in the room with Ko Lohn. "So..." Nabiki began. "Why the long face?"

"Gravity, my dear." Replied the old woman with a smirk and a mocking sigh. "When you get to be my age, EVERYTHING tries to stay close to the ground."

Nabiki's train of thought derailed, killing eighty passenger neurons and wrecking the depot, dumping passengers off the sides before it had properly reached the station. She was forced to regroup before she said, "Hey! You know what I meant, granny! What is it about Andrew that has you so concerned?"

Ko Lohn regarded Nabiki with a secretive smile. "You really have a thing for that American, don't you?"

Nabiki's eyes narrowed angrily. "That doesn't matter. I can't have him, he belongs to his wife, and he'll never be with me if there's any way under heaven he can be with her."

Ko Lohn shook her head grimly. "If what I suspect is true, he may never be able to go back, regardless of what magic he may run across."

Hope and sorrow warred for dominance in Nabiki's heart at these words. "Why?" She barely managed to choke out through a voice that had tightened suddenly in her throat.

Just then, Andrew returned with a folded up parchment. "Here it is." He said, holding it out to the Amazon Elder.  
She eyed the map with a careful scrutiny. After a careful perusal, she asked casually, "May I keep this?"

Andrew shrugged. "Sure. It's yours." He replied. "I already know the area like the back of my hand."

Nabiki had been looking at the map as he said the words. As they left his mouth, the map changed completely- instead of modern paper, its substance converted to something like parchment. The straight creases in the map vanished, and the sides curled up as though the page had spent a great deal of time rolled up. The writing and drawings on the map had changed as well, and instead of a Tokyo suburb, the map showed a picture of a number of old single and two room huts arranged around a center plaza.

Ko Lohn knew that village well, for its layout was etched into her heart. She knew with certainty where it described and what the map stretched out in front of her truly was.

"Attend me, carefully, the both of you. This map is an ancient magic, the likes of which cannot be recreated in this day and age. It is the only one of its kind in the world, and even if the formula for its creation were known, the magic starved world in which we now reside could not gather enough Mana in one place to make it. Its confines map out a location familiar to its owner, one where and when the owner's heart will or would have been completely happy. It is a benevolent magic, one such rare piece whose magic will not harm the owner more than help no matter what the circumstances- a karmic wild card. Its magic literally recreates a person, in essence twinning them into two halves, one of which is granted the opportunity to go back in time to a where and a when that would allow them to pursue whatever path that would have made them truly happy. And the one that is allowed to pursue this path is called an 'Echo.' What, in fact, you are, Andrew san."

"Wait a second!" Andrew protested. "But I'd never been to Nerima- it isn't even real!"

The look on Nabiki's face was astonished, but Ko Lohn responded with, "What is real? If you mean something that can be touched by the normal people of that world, then in a sense, you can say that no, Nerima wasn't 'real.' But then again, neither were the stars in their sky. Yet those stars were still there."

Andrew's mind was whirling. Yet Ko Lohn was not content with breaking his paradigms; she was apparently set on destroying them and grinding up the pieces into a fine powder. "The nature of reality is a fluid thing, inconstant, as our memories serve to provide us with the illusion of past, present, and future. Both past and future are hazy and indeterminate, and highly malleable. All things possible and impossible, all things imaginable and incomprehensible, all these and more exist simultaneously. If, by real, you mean is something that is actually there, then, yes, it is real. And all other things are real right along with it."

Andrew shuddered as his mind took this in, and felt a broadening in his mind as he tried to envision what it would be like to see them all at once. It was exhilarating, terrifying and humbling all at once.

"So what you're saying is, Andrew never actually left his world?" Nabiki said, a light of joy in her eyes.

"Yes. And according to how long he said he was supposed to be in Japan, he has already returned home to her." Ko Lohn said.

"Then I will never be able to go home." Andrew said numbly. He wasn't certain how he felt about this; it was as though a great responsibility had lifted itself from his shoulders.

"It is even so." Ko Lohn replied. "And for whatever reason, this path on which you have been placed will suit you, and years from now, though you might still remember and miss the wife you loved, you will see that it all turned out for the best."

"But, elder..." Nabiki began uncertainly, still sorting through the information she had been given, "Then... what is on the map now that you own it?"

Ko Lohn sighed with a small tear in her eye. "It shows my home village, as it was two hundred eighty years ago, when I was a young woman barely twenty, and a young rake named Happosai came through town. And even though he was crude, and perverse, a thief and an oathbreaker and a weakling, I still loved him."

Nabiki blinked at this. "Three hundred years old? And here I wouldn't have guessed a day over two hundred." She quipped.  
Andrew let this pass as Ko Lohn gave a small, bittersweet laugh. "But elder Ko Lohn, then... when will your twin set out for the village?"

Ko Lohn shed that tear, and then another after it. "The nature of the magic of this map is strange. The echo will not break away in any fashion that can be seen by mortal eyes, but, knowing myself as I do... If I do... then she already has."

/June 2, 1997  
/... I have found myself standing on a mountaintop. Before me I see a world of possibilities and things which my future may hold. The impossible stands before me, the chance to pursue martial arts in a world where martial arts have no limits. A place where magic still holds some of its power, where by the strength of one's spirit and discipline one may potentially live forever, unlocking new secrets of the soul and body and universe with every passing day.

/Ko Lohn says true immortality is not really in the cards, just because of odd chance and the ever greater strain of extending someone's life beyond their potential to maintain, and I can safely say that I am glad for this- forever is a really long time, and what point living when all you ever knew is ashes drifting on the ocean of eternity. Yet I feel a joy in knowing that if I needed more time, that with hard enough work and discipline, maybe I'll have enough time to accomplish everything I want to do and learn everything I want to know.

/I miss my wife and love her sincerely, but I also know now I can never go back. Even were I to spend years and hunt down a magic that could bring me back to where I was, I am already there. I can't just shove myself aside; that would be both juvenile and rather silly.

/I even asked Cologne about the possibility of getting to a place where I was already dead, or where she and I hadn't met, but she said the multiverse is a mysterious place. All possible outcomes exist, but even with powerful magics at your disposal, to get from one point on the super membrane you must travel the distance between to get to another point. The idea of teleportation is a lovely thought, but one thing seems pretty constant about the multiverse is that regardless of how you bend it, you can reduce distance but can't eliminate it altogether.

/However it is that you measure such distances. Cologne says if what she suspects about me is true, I'll understand it plenty in a couple hundred years of study- much of the ability to attain longevity through martial arts and chi manipulation stems from the desire and drive to mastery, and she says I have about as much of both as she's ever seen.

/Most reassuringly, I know Darlene is not alone, and that she still has me there with her, and so I have taken my earring out and replaced it with the gold hoop I got from the FHAA Club, which they let me keep for defending the honor of Furinkan High. I almost mentioned to them that I wasn't really defending the school, being that I never went there, but I decided not to say anything after all. Like Nabiki would say, when you give a sucker back something they let go, all you get is two suckers standing side by side. For me, today, this is Andrew, once again, signing out. /

End Chapter 14

End Book 1

--

And so it ends, at least, the first part of Echo. I already have mapped out vaguely two more books, and one whopper of a side story involving Cologne and Happosai and everything that comes after. I also warn you that Book Two skips ahead quite a distance- More or less to the arrival of Happosai. Before I get a bunch of complaints, I was forced to acknowledge that I am no longer writing this series as merely watching in my mind what is happening while writing down the images and conversations I am seeing and hearing. My subconscious has subsumed this story in its entirety, and I can't really FORCE anything at this point. After book Three, however, I will see if I can't do a sort of "Lost Chapters" story as well.

But now, at least you all know just why this story was titled Echo and what really happened to bring Andrew to Nerima.

Andrew was an interesting character to write, as was Nabiki- I suspect that she will wear down his resistance eventually, but with Shampoo in the mix along with one or two (or more) other characters I intend to throw in there, both allies and enemies, things won't get any simpler in Nerima.

Thank you all for riding along this far; I intend to start posting the first Chapters of book Two some time before too long; When that is could be tomorrow night or could be a week from now; but I have already learned that this muse is far from finished with me.

See you soon!

-AXENOME


End file.
